The Holy Grail of Cinnamon Pies: ‘Psych’ edition

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with the show “Psych,” and I’m not the least bit sorry, either! I even call my car the Blackberry.

In 2010, Shawn and Gus were invited to the Cinnamon Festival in the episode “Dual Spires.” The two stumble upon the world’s best cinnamon pie, and I just had to have it! After the episode aired, I and several other Psych-os took the internet in search of this magical pie only to find that–wait for iiiiiiit–it didn’t exist!

Let me clarify–there are plenty of recipes online for cinnamon pies but none for the “Psych” cinnamon pie. What’s the difference, you ask? Oh, my. Where to begin?

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I didn’t start out a cinnamon pie snob. I tried almost every recipe I came across to slate my Sawmill Diner craving, but none could cut it! The biggest differences I found broke down between texture, consistency and taste.

Several pies had a dense, heavy texture, which caused the pie to sink into a flat disk. Other pies were slightly fluffier, but there was something wrong with the consistency of the filling. It would separate during the bake and become slightly gelatinous. And let’s just say they all could have used a little more cinnamon flavor.

For most people, having one or two of these come out right in a pie would have been good enough, but for me? Come on, son.

I simply couldn’t get past the differences! I kept dreaming about that fluffy, soft pie from the episode. I hadn’t yet tasted the flavor that made me eat the entire pie! I had to keep going, and when nothing else would do, I created this recipe.

For all you Psych-os who wouldn’t be satisfied, here it is: the honest-to-pineapple cinnamon pie recipe worthy of a blue ribbon at the Cinnamon Festival.

Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons ground cinnamon (to flavor preference)
2 tablespoons flour, sifted

1 piece of pre-made pie dough
Whipped cream, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To all those who make their own pie crust, this is where I tip my hat to you. I always think that if I’m going through the effort of making the filling from scratch, I will not feel guilty about using a pre-made crust. That being said, whether it’s frozen, from scratch or even
from a box, any crust will work the same.

Take 1 piece of pre-made pie dough and put it into a 9 inch pie pan. Press down along the bottom and sides. Crimp the edges together along the top ridge of the pan. Put the pie shell in the freezer to firm up for about an hour.

After that hour is over, take the pie crust out of the freezer and fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the crust completely. Fill with pie weights (or marbles or dried beans or even heavy nuts) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and the pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust begins to dry and take color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sifted sugar on high until light and smooth. Add salt and continue mixing. Add the eggs, half-and-half, vanilla and melted butter; beat until combined. Once fully incorporated, add the cinnamon and flour a little bit at a time, making sure it is well combined before adding the next portion.

Pour the filling, which will be slightly runny, into the warm pie crust and bake for 45-50 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick into the center of the pie and remove it cleanly. Let the pie cool to room temperature before slicing. Serve slightly warmed or cold.

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  My little boy cat ruining my shot

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For extra flavor, top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. For extra fun, use the scraps from your pie crust to create your own cinnamon-sugar pineapple decoration. Simply roll out the scraps of dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Use a cookie cutter to punch out the pineapple and a knife to lightly etch in the lines of the fruit. Bake until slightly golden brown. Place on pie immediately upon removal from oven.

There you have it. A fluffy, moist and completely crave-able cinnamon pie.

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