10 Ways To Make Store-Bought Pies Look Homemade

If Thanksgiving were a dessert instead of a holiday, it would be pie: It takes forever to put together and has at least one element that's somehow soggy, but you still look forward to it for the pure, delicious festivities. A homemade pie is a remarkable artifact for the effort that goes into it, but time and again you may wonder why you didn't just get a premade pie from the grocery store at the same time you bought your turkey, cranberry sauce, and countless other ingredients.

There's no shame in taking the easy route, with one caveat: Store-bought pies, as convenient as they are, certainly need some help. As a pastry cook at a fine dining restaurant, I've had the pleasure of frantically reassembling sagging or broken pies to get the desserts out in time on the regular. Even things as simple as a dusting of powdered sugar or quenelle of airy whipped cream makes a pie look like the product of two loving hands, no matter its journey to get to the table. If you're looking to add a homemade flourish to your store-bought dessert, we've got you covered.

If you chuck a store-bought pie into the oven as is, you'll end up with a sickly-looking crust that's begging for color. The most reliably beautiful way to prevent this and make any pie glow is to egg wash it. Perfect for a double crusted pie like apple, an egg wash makes pastries bronzed and beautiful. Mix together equal parts heavy cream and egg yolks, brush on before baking, and you'll be left with a pie so golden you'll get a sunburn from just looking at it.

Though this mixture is a foolproof way to put your pie in its Sunday best, there are lots of different ways you can put your own spin on an egg wash. Use buttermilk instead of heavy cream for a more tangy crust. Adding a dash of salt is another great extra step for a better egg wash, since it not only flavors your crust but also breaks down the egg proteins so it can more evenly glaze your pie.

After adding your egg wash, sprinkle your pie with raw sugar or Demerara sugar. Both are coarse, partially refined sugars that have a wonderfully dark depth of flavor from molasses. The finished product will not only shine but crack with crunchy sweetness. When doing so, put on more than you think — two to three tablespoons will usually be enough to cover the pie perfectly with tiny cubic jewels. Too little sugar, and it'll look like a half finished job — not the type of modification you want on your store-bought pie.

If crunch isn't what you're after, use powdered sugar instead for a nice, snowy blanket on your pie. To add extra flavor, you can add spices like cinnamon or cardamom to the powdered sugar, which will make for a dustier look. For a pie with a pop of color, blend any freeze dried fruit like blueberries or strawberries in the food processor with the powdered sugar. The result will be a vibrant, eye-catching pie that people will obsess over.

A whipped cream — which can be as simple or as complicated as you'd like it to be — is the kind of cushion your spoon will want to collapse into, nice and cozy. The most elemental of versions would be a quart of heavy cream whipped in a stand mixer or, if you'd like to impress your guests with a punishing minutes-long spectacle, by hand. However, whipped cream can be so much more. Add some Greek yogurt and brown sugar near the end of the whipping process for a sour and sweetly toasted finish. Alternatively, a splash of vanilla and maple syrup in your cream would pair excellently with an off-the-shelf pumpkin pie.

On the more British side of things, bathing your store-bought pie in a warm custard provides a perfectly luscious backdrop for a buttery slice. Custard is like a warm, fortified cousin to whipped cream, in that it doesn't steal from the glory of a pie but adds to it. You can cook about one part cream to three parts milk together, with any flavorings you would like, and then temper that hot mixture into a few egg yolks and sugar (for a thicker custard, add a few tablespoons of cornstarch). Cook until thickened, and then take off the heat and serve warm. Don't have time to make a custard? Let Ina Garten be your savior, as she is for all of us time and again: her single ingredient version of a custard sauce, or creme anglaise, makes any dessert heavenly — especially store-bought ones.

This might be the most fun tip on the docket. If you have frozen pie crust collecting ice in the bottom of your freezer, defrost it and cut out some leaves, pumpkins, or turkeys with cookie cutters. Place them on top of your pie and bake as you usually would until they are golden. The result will be a devastatingly cute sketch that will put everyone in a thankful mood — that is, if the extended dinner and company hasn't already.

If you have a pumpkin pie or other custard-based pies on the table, you can bake these pie crust designs separately on a baking sheet and place them on top after the pie is ready. It's a great idea to use the egg wash again here to make the edges and lines of your designs pop. You can go as intricate as you want with these — the next Mona Lisa will probably come from the top of a pie crust.

Why have caramel on the side of your pie when it can ooze out onto your plate from within? Using a piping bag (or a firm resealable bag), you can pierce the top crust of the pie you bought and squeeze in pockets of caramel. When you slice into the pie, hot caramel will burst from each slice, dignified but indulgent as if just pulled from your oven.

If you want to pick up a jar of caramel from the store when you pick up your pie, that's ace; if not, try this method an expert uses to make caramel with sweetened condensed milk. Alternatively, you can cook a cup of sugar with a splash of water in a saucepan until dark, then add cream and butter (careful, as the caramel will sputter). A dash of salt and a glug of vanilla never did a caramel any wrong. This is an outrageously decadent way to upgrade a potentially drab store-bought pie.

Sometimes, a scattering of festive little bits is all you need to make a pie from the store look like one from your oven. Fall pies are begging for nuts, if they don't have them already. To upgrade a store-bought pie, top with these deep fried glassy nuts, or, for the wilder crowd, these bacon candied apple spiced nuts, which would go great with any sweet Thanksgiving dessert.

Pumpkin pie can be relatively one note, so a citrus bent is welcome. Make citrus peels taste like candy with a handful of ingredients, and place on top of your custard pie for a sugary tapestry of orange peels.

Importantly, these elements add an exciting alternative texture to your pie. The nuts are crumbly and crisp, and the peels are chewy like candy. Store-bought pies aren't typically overflowing with textural nuance, so these will make yours both look and taste like a cook put some real effort in.

There might be those that are tired of hearing about flaky salt on their desserts, but this author is not one of those people. If you're staring a saccharine store-bought pie in the face and wondering how to save it from its sugary doom, sprinkle your pie with the beautiful stuff. The gigantic salt crystals will give this a homemade makeover, like you spent hours in your kitchen.

Once again, flaky salt, also called maldon salt, adds a wonderful textural crunch as well as a pop of salty deliciousness. Its large, pyramid crystals are bright in flavor and appearance, and signal to you immediately that what you're about to eat is complex and subtle. Dust some on top and call it a day — everyone will thank you for making such a delicious pie.

To add a campfire-warmth to a pumpkin or pecan pie, you can make a meringue, which seems more difficult than it actually is. You cook a simple sugar syrup to 240 degrees Fahrenheit and then whisk in gelatin; pour this mixture very slowly into some whipping egg whites, and in a few minutes you'll have a glossy meringue that you can pile high onto your pie.

If you have a kitchen torch, now's the time to use it; if not, then 30seconds under your broiler should do the trick. There is something refreshing about the visual of a torched meringue — it's the triumphant finishing touch on a pie, a dessert which would be incomplete now without it. Try experimenting with different flavors here as well: You can use espresso instead of water in the sugar syrup, or use dark brown sugar instead of granulated. Whatever you have on hand, the meringue will be just what the dessert table calls for.

Frankly, chocolate is on fewer Thanksgiving tables than it deserves to be. A store-bought pie is the perfect place to bring chocolate into the spotlight and be met with drooling mouths from your guests. For a riff on pumpkin pie, or an unexpected pairing with a caramel apple pie, melt some chocolate and heavy cream together to make a pourable ganache. You can play with the ratio of ingredients here; more heavy cream will result in a thinner glaze, while more chocolate will make a thicker one. You could also add orange zest or liqueur, vanilla extract, or a shot of espresso for a kind of nightcap touch at the end of your feast.

Use a spoon or a pastry brush to dip into the ganache, and then drizzle it all over your pie — pumpkin, apple, or pecan are all fantastic candidates here. A healthy drizzle will do wonders for your store-bought pie.