13 ways to make store-bought pie look homemade

Make a herb-infused caramel sauce to give a store-bought pie a gourmet touch.

A drizzle of caramel can improve your dish.

Professional baker and winner of TLC’s “Cake Boss: Next Great Baker” Dana Herbert advised Insider that ready-made pies should be topped with a herb-infused caramel sauce.

Herbert suggested adding cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, ginger, or cardamom to warm caramel sauce and serving it alongside the pie. Even typically savory herbs can pair well with sweet treats.

Herbert suggested closing your eyes and smelling the herb or spice to determine whether it would mix well with your pie. If you can detect something sweet in the aroma, it’s definitely safe to use.

To make your store-bought pie appear handmade, remove it from its wrapper.

Remove your pie from its box so that it does not appear pre-made.

The quickest method to elevate a store-bought pie, according to Alexandra Lourdes, co-owner of Saint Honoré Doughnuts and Beignets, is to remove it from its original packaging.

“Be sure to remove it from its packaging,” Lourdes instructed. If you place it in a new box, add a ribbon, and arrange it on a gorgeous cake stand, no one will ever know it wasn’t prepared from scratch.

Place a spoonful of lemon curd atop blueberry or cherry pie.

You can either prepare lemon curd yourself or get it from a store.

The addition of lemon flavor can enrich and enhance the flavor of a readymade berry pie.

“Make a tart lemon curd with lemon juice and lots of zest,” Herbert instructed. The tartness will cut through some of the excessive sweetness seen in blueberry and cherry pies sold in stores.

If you don’t have time to create your own lemon curd, you can get it from the supermarket and add some fresh lemon juice and rind.

Use salt to balance excessively sweet desserts.

The addition of salt can prevent a pie from being excessively sweet.

Carlo Lamagna, chef and owner of Magna PDX, told Insider that adding salt to syrupy pies can help reduce their sweetness.

“Salt enhances flavors and balances often too sweet foods,” added Lamagna.

If you don’t want to sprinkle pure salt on your dessert, you can use crushed salted nuts, such as peanuts or cashews, to achieve the same effect and add texture.

Melt cheese onto your apple-pie crust.

For a Midwestern twist, apple pie can be topped with cheese.

Lamagna suggests adding sliced or shredded cheese to a typical store-bought apple pie if you are feeling adventurous in the kitchen.

“Growing up in the Midwest, we always melted a chunk of cheddar on apple pies,” Lamagna explained. Don’t be scared to experiment with unusual flavor combinations.

The secret to a successful cheesy apple pie is moderation; if you add too much cheese, the crust will become greasy and salty.

Serve your pie with whipped cream made from scratch.

The only ingredients required to produce whipped cream are heavy cream and powdered sugar.

Chef and sommelier Melissa Smith told Insider that combining a pre-made pie with freshly whipped cream is an excellent way to elevate the dessert’s flavor and appearance.

“Pipe whipped cream atop the pie if you have a whisk, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and a piping bag,” Smith said. This usually appears fashionable and sophisticated, like something from a fashion magazine.

Smith suggested garnishing the piped cream with a few edible gold flakes or a scattering of citrus zest for additional points.

A thin sprinkling of powdered sugar is a quick way to embellish a pie.

The addition of powdered sugar to a pie enhances its appearance and sweetness.

You can use a tablespoon of powdered sugar in place of whipping your own fresh cream.

Smith stated, “A modest sprinkle of powdered sugar can make your pie appear more delicious than if it were served naked and straight from the jar.”

Use a sieve to guarantee a uniform coating of sugar and a stencil to create clean, distinct designs for a faultless presentation.

Add handwritten text at the top to add a personal touch.

On a store-bought pie, piping frosting can be a nice touch.

Staniela R. Nikolova/Shuttershock

Even though your pie was purchased from the grocery store, that does not mean it must appear generic.

“I would put handwritten letters to the pie to personalize it,” Lourdes added. “Gold flakes or edible food glitter can also be added to create a statement.”

You may simply add your desired sentence using icing, but Lourdes also advised using silicone molds to create chocolate letters.

Add ice cream for a pleasant temperature combination.

Ice cream pairs well with traditionally served warm pies.

Adding a scoop of high-quality ice cream to a pie intended for warm consumption might enhance its flavor.

“Hot and cold dishes are a dynamic combination,” remarked Cabrera. “Serve the pie with a substantial scoop of slow-churned ice cream as a delightful dessert after warming it up.”

Cabrera observed that you can’t go wrong with vanilla ice cream, but you may also choose a sorbet or a rich chocolate flavor.

Make your dessert a pie milkshake.

You may combine leftover pie to make milkshakes.

AP/Larry Crowe

If you have a blender, you can make a delicious milkshake with leftover or slightly stale pie.

“Mix a fourth of the pie with vanilla ice cream and milk,” Smith instructed. “Be sure to pulse it slightly so that you end up with pie bits rather than a fully smooth mixture.”

To make this beverage simpler to gulp, serve it with an extra-wide straw that will allow pie bits to pass through. For added taste and enjoyment, you can also add a splash of whiskey or flavored liquor.

The addition of bacon bits to a pie gives it a savory kick.

Adding bacon to your pies can provide a delightful blend of sweet and salty flavors.

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If you enjoy the combination of salty and sweet flavors, adding a light dusting of bacon pieces to your pie could be a delicious choice.

“The best method to enhance an apple or peach pie is to cook your favorite bacon and sprinkle it on top,” added Herbert.

Herbert advised using bourbon-flavored bacon to add savory flavor to a pecan pie for a Southern-inspired dessert.

Fruit should be added to cream pies.

Different fruits pair well with various pie flavors.

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You may add texture and color to dull cream pies by topping them with chopped fresh fruit.

“Find a fruit that complements the cream pie you selected,” Lamagna instructed. Cherries typically pair well with chocolate cream, whereas coconut pairs well with banana cream.

Peaches with vanilla cream, raspberries with lime cream, and bananas with peanut-butter cream are more delicious combinations.