This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy for additional information.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I’ve been making Flapper pie for years; in fact, it’s the name of my first bestselling cookbook, so I am incredibly fond of this pie! This is a fast, easy pie that uses simple ingredients that you most likely have at home. And best of all, you should eat it the same day that you make it.
Flapper pie is a long, long time family favorite of my mother’s, mainly because it’s her favorite pie on earth. My mom doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth- I inherited my sweet tooth from my dad- but a few years back my sister and I discovered that my mom loves a piece of flapper pie above all other desserts.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: Flapper pie does use meringue so it’s a little bit finicky but not difficult. If you have baked pies before, you should be able to pull this off. I’d rate this as medium difficulty.
- Total Time: Making this pie takes about 50 minutes plus chilling time.
- Tools Needed: You’ll need a pie plate, a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer.
Flapper Pie
When you read the title of my newest pie recipe for pie day, you’re most likely going to be in one of two camps: either you’re going to scratch your head and think to yourself: “What the devil is flapper pie?” or you’re going to think “Wow, now there’s a pie I haven’t heard of in a long time!!”
I’ll give a small percentage of you the chance of falling into the rare category of “Ooh, that’s a family favorite!” My mom was in seventh heaven when she found it in a small cafe around Pine Lake, Alberta, and made sure to visit whenever she and my dad went out to the lake for the weekend.
What is Flapper Pie?
Flapper pie is a graham crumb crust pie filled with a decadent, creamy custard filling topped with a meringue. It’s so unique to the prairies that if you didn’t grow up here, you most likely haven’t ever heard of it. Indeed, perhaps not many Albertans have heard of flapper pie; this is a Manitoba recipe straight from the family archives, one that would have been passed around the farms!
The Lost Prairie Pie?
Flapper pie seems to have been popular with my Grandma’s generation……then just plainly died out. My mom never made it. I never had it at my friends’ houses. When I asked around, so few people have heard of it. Even fewer have ever baked it! What once was a staple in prairie kitchens is now a rarity to find, unless you are lucky enough to still find an older generation baking it in their cafe or restaurant, such as the one in Pine Lake.
I don’t ever recall having flapper pie, so even though this is something my mom grew up loving, it’s not something we had as kids. My mom isn’t a pie baker; that fell to my Grandma, and now apparently I’ve taken up the baking mitts and am carrying on the tradition.
If you read last week’s pie day post – Drunken Peach Galette – you’ll know that I spent the week at my sisters’. What you also might know if you follow me on Instagram is that my sister and I were up at 9 am baking pies one morning.
This is what Ukrainian women do. We get up. We bake pies. Sometimes in pajamas.
My sister was totally in her pajamas.
I have no pictures because I value my life.
Vintage Recipe Card Shorthand
Here is how to fit the recipe onto recipe cards if desired.
Flapper pie is notorious for being delicious and falling apart easily. It’s very hard to nail it so that it stays together, so be prepared that it won’t be picture perfect. Using butter in the crust will help solidify it when refrigerated, but really, custard and meringue? You know it’s not going to be a clean slice.
I really hope you all try this recipe. What a truly lost prairie pie this is, and I really don’t understand why! It’s so simple yet decadent. If nothing else, add it to your archives to try one day and pass it on to your kids! I know I will be including this at family meals a lot now, knowing it’s a childhood favorite of my mom’s.
Have a fabulous weekend all!
Happy Baking!
Love,
Karlynn
Flapper Pie- The Lost Prairie Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 pinch cinnamon
Filling
- 2 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
Meringue Topping
- 3 large egg whites
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Mix all the crust ingredients together until fully combined. Reserve 2 tbsp of the crumb mixture to the side and press the rest into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate to create a crust. Place in a refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the filling.
- Combine the filling ingredients together in a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together until smooth with no lumps. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to ensure the filling doesn't burn, until it comes to a low boil and thickens. The filling should coat the back of a spoon and be thick and creamy. Set aside to cool while you make the meringue.
- Beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar on high speed until the egg whites are foamy. Add in the white sugar and continue to beat the meringue ingredients together until they form stiff peaks.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Pour the cooled filling into the refrigerated crust and top with the meringue, making beautiful little spikes that will brown up all lovely on top. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs on the top.
- Bake until the meringue browns on top, around 10 minutes,but watch it carefully! All ovens are different!
- Cool in the fridge and eat the same day. This isn’t a pie that is going to last a few days, meringue topped pies get slimy between the layers. This is best made mere hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Brent Frew says
That’s the exact same flapper pie that my grandmother, (born in England & took the train across Canada), my mother who was born in Victoria also made that recipe. Oddly enough, I’ve never been in the prairies, nor has anyone else in my family been to the prairies-oops, my niece was there for a few days several years ago. My niece has never made a meal for me, let alone a pie and I’m OK with that. I love your recipe and look forward to trying it sometime before I go to the prairies. I’m 55 now so I still have plenty of time to see the rolling Hills of Saskatchewan.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I’m looking forward to using it!
Darlene says
Ok