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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 discovered that my mom loves a piece of flapper pie above all else.
Flapper Pie Recipe
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 her 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!
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.
Ingredients For Flapper Pie:
Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon
Filling:
2 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Meringue Topping:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 tsp of cream of tartar
Kick the tires and light the fires to 350 degrees.
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.
Mix all the crust ingredients together, save about 2 tbsp to the side and press the rest into a 10 inch pie plate, in the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate.
Combine the filling ingredients together and cook on a medium heat until it boils and thickens, making sure to stir constantly! Set aside to cool while you make the meringue.
Beat the meringue ingredients together until they form stiff peaks.
Pour the filling into the crust and top with the meringue, making beautiful little spikes that will brown up all lovely on top! Sprinkle the rest of the crumbs on the top and slide into a 350 degree oven.
Bake until the meringue browns like below, 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.
Now, you can see below that you can get a clean slice.
Unless you are my sister and I and eat it warm out of the oven because when you do, it will collapse.
We didn’t give a hoot if it fell apart. (and it most certainly did)
We wanted that pie. For breakfast.
This was the best Saturday morning breakfast I have ever had. I highly suggest to everyone that you put “eat flapper pie straight from the oven for breakfast” on your bucket lists.
What I have been missing all my life! This is definitely a favorite pie now, I’m not sure how or why everything comes together to make such a great pie. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s so darn tasty!
Happy Pie Day everyone! 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 know, knowing it’s a childhood favorite of my mom’s.
Have a fabulous weekend all!
Love,
The I Want a Piece of Flapper Pie For Breakfast Again Magpie
Flapper Pie- The Lost Prairie Pie
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Course
- Dessert
- Cuisine
- pies
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 430
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups graham crackers
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 dash cinnamon
Filling
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
Meringue Topping
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Mix all the crust ingredients together, save about 2 tbsp to the side and press the rest into a 10 inch pie plate, in the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate.
- Combine the filling ingredients together and cook on a medium heat until it boils and thickens, making sure to stir constantly! Set aside to cool while you make the meringue.
- Beat the meringue ingredients together until they form stiff peaks.
- Pour the filling into the crust and top with the meringue, making beautiful little spikes that will brown up all lovely on top! Sprinkle the rest of the crumbs on the top and slide into a 350 degree oven.
- Bake until the meringue browns like below, 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.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Ann Ziegler says
one of our family favorites. Both our daughters & daughter-in-law make this pie. I haven’t made it in years!!
Greg Hart says
I Love flapper pie! Thx
Chelene Freyman says
it is a staple pie here still in Maidstone, Saskatchewan, small town pie bingo every wednesday in the autumn months, you better win in the first few bingos if you want a chance at a flapper pie! always the first pie to be gone at the Fall Suppers too. i made it once last year for Thanksgiving to go along with our pumpkin pie, and mly grandmothers made it all the time too
CindyWaltersBuscholl says
Funny story – Flapper Pie is my dad’s favorite. My mom asked me to make one for him when I was home visiting one weekend. We get out all the ingredients only to find we’re short on milk. We send Dad out to pick up some milk while I get started on making the crust. Milk in hand I start making that delicious custard filling. I’m stirring and suddenly things start to bubble up and up, and up, and up…I had to rush the kettle to the sink before it was ALL over the stove. What the heck? A quick check of the ingredients…Mom had given me baking soda instead of corn starch. :O Dad made another trip for more milk…His mouth had been watering waiting for that Flapper Pie. Oh my but that was a tasty pie! Once we had all the right ingredients! 😀 we still giggle about that 30+ years later
thekitchenmagpie says
CindyWaltersBuscholl Sounds like a wonderful family memory Cindy! And funny too!
Susan Green Wood says
Was a favourite in my big Alberta family…I’m gonna make it !
Wanda Pandachuck says
THANK YOU! I’ve been asking many friends and family for the recipe for “Flapper Pie’ and no one seemed to really know what I was talking about! I can finally make it myself! Happy – Happy – Happy!
Diane Gaboury says
Yes my mom use to make it as well and it was on the menu at the Sals. When I had my first job there! Many, Many moons ago.
Michelle Maher-Lennox says
I thought I was the only person on vancouver island that knew about this pie.. Clayton’s grandma made this for us all the time.. Delicious:)
The Kitchen Magpie says
It’s very out of vogue, so perhaps not lost 😉 but so many people haven’t eaten it since childhood!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Lemon is lemon meringue, this has to be a custard filling to be Flapper pie!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Yup, the can of Bird’s is in my pantry!
The Kitchen Magpie says
The variations sound lovely!
The Kitchen Magpie says
It’s been around as long as my family can remember, thanks for stopping by the site!
Karlynn Johnston says
You are welcome!
Lynne Slater says
My mother used to make this and I have a recipie somewhere. She used Birds brand custard in the filling. It is also on the dessert menu in Salisbury house restaurants in winnipeg … Enjoy!!
Deanne Ruel says
I live on vancouver island and my mom still makes this! Yummy! It was her moms recipe from the prairies 😉
Terry Harrison says
My mom use to make it with lemon pie filling so we use to call that flapper pie?
Sharol Fennell says
yep! saskatchewan here too,and this is my Mother and Grandmothers favorite pie,Grandma worked at a Truck stop cafe and they would go nuts over her Flapper pie,This brought back wonderful memories…Thank you
Trish Bogart says
Ukranian Mother – Check
Raised in Central Alberta – Check
Threshing Crew and regular Company Dessert – (Often referred to Boston Cream Flapper Pie) Check
Flapper Pie last made – actually this very last Friday (first time in a very long time) – Check
VARIATIONS you might like to try and equally as good for breakfast:
* if using Instant Pudding mix, bake crust for about 7 minutes before adding custard, LET COOL in refrigerator completely, then add custard and meringue or whipped cream topping.
* turn this into Banana Cream by adding fresh Bananas on cool crust
* or turn this into a Coconut Cream Pie by adding finely cut Coconut into Crust or stir longer threads into custard and sprinkle on top of Meringue or Whipped Cream topping
* Graham Crust is also very good for Lemon Meringue and Pumpkin and then you must try this with a CHOCOLATE Custard = Chocolate Flapper Pie
Truann Brotzel says
No–my Mom made lemon pie & flapper pie. Flapper pie is one of my favorites!
Susan Geduhn says
Make this all the time have for 40 some years. Family favorite
Pattie Gillette Massey says
mmmmmmm
Fran Babiuk says
great treat for everyone
Lisa Gordon says
it’s not lost, my grandma makes it all the time 🙂
it’s a family favorite 🙂
Betty Marie Hill says
I haven’t made this for ages! Was always a special treat! My gramma & my mom made it also, so it’s been around for a very long time, and yes I’m from Saskatchewan!
BevHagel says
I remember making these pies at harvest time for the combine crews in central Saskatchewan. We made lots of them because the ingredients were plentiful and cheap. We didn’t put the meringue on them though, but served dollops of whip cream and strawberries right out in the field.
I have come across them all across the prairies at hockey rinks and auction sales. Brings back lots of memories! Thanks for the 🙂
thekitchenmagpie says
BevHagel Whipped cream would be very fast, easy and tasty on top top!
Penny says
Hate to disillusion you but my grandmother came straight to the Okanagan Valley from England in 1914 and always made this pie for us – often in the Fall – usually Thanksgiving.
gramakimmy says
@Penny Recipes are shared between friends and friends of friends. It could have easily traveled between friends and relatives to everywhere. I lived in Okanogan and Oroville. Our house in Oroville was 2 miles from the Canadian border. Most people people I knew crossed the border for various reasons. So no one needs to be disillusioned. I love the recipe exchanges and sharing stories. Sometimes it’s like connecting the dots. lol
MissDeja says
I don’t make pies often – usually just for holidays - but when I read this post, memories of being a young girl came flooding back, and I got up from my chair and just made it! … I grew up in a little AB prairie town, and a friends mom would make this sometimes when I would eat supper with them and I LOVED it!
I made one little change which added lovely flavour to the custard – I added 2 Tbsp of butter to it as soon as I took it off the heat, similar to what my butterscotch pie recipe calls for.
Thank you for posting this – I’m thrilled to share a little bit of the prairies with my NB family 🙂
thekitchenmagpie says
MissDeja It’s comments like yours that make what I am doing so worth all the work! I just love hearing from readers, especially when it’s beautiful comments and memories like this <3
Ileana says
I also grew up on Flapper pie, it is still my favorite.
My mother used the recipe that used to be on the back of the graham cracker box
when they took that off the recipe got lost, I am very happy to have found recipe that is
just as good as I remember.
Karlynn Johnston says
I like that name for Flapper pie, what a great memory that is!