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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.
Nic Pound says
I’m in the rare category of Flapper Pie being a family favourite. My mum always used to make it, mostly for special occasions. I’m 53 and my mum is 81 and still baking and we are British, living in the UK. She always knew it was a Canadian recipe, but I’ll have to ask her again how she first came about it. The only difference that my mum makes to your recipe is the addition of a layer of mashed banana underneath the custard, but apart from that, it’s identical. Lovely seeing this post, thanks for sharing
Tom says
My Grandmother grew up in Winnipeg, and lived there until 1910ish. We’d have Flapper pie for Sunday dinners many times during the year. My brothers and I were spoiled to have her living with us!! You’ve brought back some wonderful memories, now to the kitchen to make one!!! Tom.
JudyDesfosses says
I grew up eating Flapper Pie in southern Saskatchewan, but my mom made it with brown sugar. I loved it! Have you tried Sour Cream Pie?
thekitchenmagpie says
JudyDesfosses No, do you have a good recipe for Sour Cream pie? Sounds interesting!
HelenGalbraith says
Sour cream raisin was my Dad’s favourite. It’s ok with commercial sour cream but best is sour heavy cream.
Janet Johnston Rude says
Flapper Pie was a preferred dessert at Sunday dinners in my family growing up in Alberta. Though my mother would also make it with butterscotch filling as well. I’ve continued the tradition and have made it for years for my children who love it!
Gloria Sponselee says
This recipe for “Flapper Pie” was on the back of the Graham Cracker box when I was growing up.
At Christmas, my mom always made two each of everyone’s favourite pie. Although the others were the traditional ones; apple, mincemeat, cherry and lemon meringue, my dad’s favourite was favourite was “Flapper Pie”. Fond memories
Kerry says
I loooove Flapper Pie! We had it as kids growing up in Saskatoon!
Kathy says
Karlynn:
Thanks for the recipe. I had never heard of Flapper Pie until I saw it in an Allrecipes.com e-mail. I wanted to know what it was and looked at it. I am happy to know the history.
My mother made this for years and years-and we are not Canadian. It’s called “Cream Torte” and it was not baked in a pie dish. She used a small, deep-sided Pyrex casserole dish, and also used Zwieback for the crumb crust and topping. She used the 6-oz box of Nabisco zwieback, along with the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. She saved out 1 cup of it to sprinkle on the top. Otherwise, your recipe is the same as mine.
Nabisco doesn’t make zwieback anymore and to me, it just doesn’t taste the same with anything else. I now make my own zwieback using the recipe at King Arthur Flour.
It’s spot on Cream Torte now. I can recommend trying it with zwieback. ”Cream Torte” is calling to me now. . .
thekitchenmagpie says
@Kathy I think every area has their “cream pie”, that’s for sure! It’s just known as something different in each region! Your Mom’s version sounds delicious!
Kathy says
thekitchenmagpie
It’s the best! It’s a lot more involved now that I have to make the zwieback, but it’s worth every second to me.
Annie Flanagan says
Well, I’ve only been a Canadian for 43 years and moved directly to Northern Alberta where I encountered it at some of the cafes and diners in the north: made, of course, by the Chinese cooks every time. It’s not just our northern prairies that lay claim to this: my grandma made it for us frequently and it was a staple of the Oklahoma farmhouses of her childhood, along with double boiler cooked custard coconut cream pie :).
Prairie Girl says
Maybe you know the coconut version of Flapper Pie
Was known as Gigolo Pie and was known as the mate to Flapper Pie which has always been my favourite.
My mother was also a flapper era child and made it
Often. Grew up in Manitoba and worked in the Salisbury House in high school.
TheQueensHotel says
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Karen2014 says
We used to make this at the Bessborough Hotel (Saskatoon). It was always one of the first pies to sell out! Will be making this the first chance I get!!
patsharkey says
My husband is a Flapper Pie expert and says this is a great recipe. I will be serving this for his birthday today. thanks a bunch. It has been 24 years before I had him tell me this is the best flapper pie recipe I have ever made, just like his Moms!
thekitchenmagpie says
patsharkey Aw thanks for letting me know!! What a wonderful story and happy birthday to him!
Camille says
Txs for the recipe! Ate flapper pie all my life in Ferland ,SK! My daughter in law (from Regina)surprises me with one every chance she gets! Yum! Txs for the recipe
Karlynn Johnston says
Thanks for stopping in! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Debra says
My mom is from Alberta and we grew up as kids eating it here in BC, but most people have never heard it it. Still one of our favorites and now my kids ask me to bring it for family gatherings
BredbornraisedAlbertan says
You have NOT had flapper pie till you have had Lemon Flapper Pie……..My Mom used to make it. It ROCKED. Hhhmmm, sadly her recipes(cookbooks) were misplaced. Guess I’ll have to get creative…
Llinse says
People, this recipe was on the side of the graham cracker crumb box – yes, that was many years ago. Brian is right you need to bake the crust first, .then add the cooled filling (yes, it was left on the counter to cool) when putting the meringue on top make sure to seal the meringue to the edge of the crust and final hint, use whole milk and real butter and sugar. It is so good and remember it is a treat. In our house my non-baking mother would make two pies, she would cut it into 4th’s you got a quarter of pie for supper and before bed, the other pie was cut. I have no idea if the pie would keep overnight. I have tried making it with 1% and lite butter but it does not taste anything like the real, made in the 50’s pie.
Brian Champlin says
Hi Karlynn
My Mother made no this wonderful pie every weekend while we were growing up.
The recipe that I have has been passed along from generation to generation since the early 1800’s.
In our recipe, the crust is baked for eight minutes, then the filling is added and the pie is left to cool; about three hours (not in the fridge) and then the meringue is added and baked for ten minutes.
Try it this way and the crust will stay together.
Brian Champlin
Rosemary says
Thanks for sharing! I grew up eating this pie in Ontario…but my Mom called it “Graham Wafer pie”…the recipe was on the side of the graham wafer box at one time.
Badgerbluff says
So, do you actually mix all the filling ingredients together and cook that way, or cook all but the beaten egg yolks, then add them after filling has cooked and started to thicken?
thekitchenmagpie says
Badgerbluff The recipe we use has the ingredients all together, not separate.
Carole Clark says
yummy. This is available at Vi’s Pies in Edmonton Alberta. Not just a Manitoba recipe – very much a Saskatchewan and Alberta favorite.
thekitchenmagpie says
Carole Clark I was JUST there and no flapper pie! I’m going to have to stalk them now lol and ask when they make it!
eileen says
I remember flapper pie as a child growing up in Manitoba. I printed the recipe and plan to give it a try. One question … #1 in the Instructions refers to making the crust and not the topping correct?
Karen says
Hi Karlynn, just a quick note to help those of us who don’t bake as much and might be confused. In both places where your instructions are listed, you have written “Mix all the topping ingredients” instead of “Mix all crust ingredients. ” I have never made meringue, so I was thinking, “Oh, you have to refrigerate it before you beat it” until I read it through a second time. 🙂
thekitchenmagpie says
@Karen Haha fixed! It’s literally copied straight from my grandma’s recipe, so I didn’t even think of that, thank you!
Randy says
In our community in Alberta, a few families made flapper pie but not very often. I remember my first flapper pie, which was a a box social at the community hall. I do not remember whose box lunch I bid and won but I do remember the flapper pie.
L Lea says
@Randy A box social! I remember those from my childhood in Alberta!
Caroline says
it was really neat to read about the cafe that you went to in the pinelake area i was the cook at the campground green acres and made all the pies for years they called me the pie lady before i started it was another elderly lady that taught me to make the flapper pie and i to this day still make it and many other pies great to read your story
Muriel Park says
Lots of people in BC are originally from the prairies and I am sure are familiar with this delicious pie
Carol Eaton says
Going to have to try this out!
Marlene Sawchuk says
Big Clair thing eh?
Karlynn Johnston says
Brenda I love that story, thank you for sharing it! That’s too funny and cute!
Karlynn Johnston says
You are welcome Angela! I hope you bake it up soon! Such a Canadian classic!
Linda Mack says
I still make it … simply a comfort food !!
Beth Russell says
I love it too…and have made a few in the last couple years. Everyone loves it