Cinnamon Bourbon Peach Pie
A sturdy pie with a perfectly flaky crust and a bourbon-y, cinnamon-y peach filling that slices clean and doesn’t run. Not only is this a picturesque pie—it’s filled with rich, fruity, caramelized flavors that will leave you wanting more.
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Happy birthday, America!
Anyone else feel weird about today? A little tentative to celebrate such a divided America? Worried that people might misinterpret what it means for you to celebrate today?
I’ll just say this then get on to talking about pies. It’s actually possible to disagree and still 1) discuss kindly and 2) get along. Plus, recent studies show most of us aren’t as polarized from each other as social media would have us believe.
So today, can we please celebrate how far we’ve come and agree that it’s okay for us to have work to do? Cause we’re all human and such? Can we please see today as a promise of hope nearly 250 years in the making instead of an excuse to spew hateful assumptions about anyone who might disagree with us?
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Bourbon peach pie
Fun fact: bourbon is American! It’s named after either Bourbon County in Kentucky or Bourbon Street in New Orleans—both of which are named after the House of Bourbon in France.
Another fun fact: I don’t usually like peach pie. I’ve only had it a few times, but the peaches were too large and flavorless. That’s not the case with this pie. This pie is very flavorful and lives up to its name. It’s got quite a bit of bourbon. In fact, the only liquid in the filling is the natural peach juice and bourbon (plus a bit of vanilla, but does that really count?). Plus, I added extra cinnamon to be safe. Life’s too short to skimp on flavor.
What I love about this pie is that it slices clean! Meaning you can slice it (once cooled) and get that bakery-style slice that doesn’t collapse or turn to soup. This is achieved by macerating the peaches then cooking down their liquids with cornstarch. As the pie cooks, the filling thickens perfectly.
I also love the crust! It’s probably my favorite fruit pie crust. I personally think brown sugar goes best with fruit, so the brown sugar crust complements the filling—especially the bourbon—perfectly.
How to make cinnamon bourbon peach pie
Make the pie crust and chill it. I suggest doing this the day before so it can rest well.
Peel, slice, and rest the peaches in brown sugar.
Roll out and shape the bottom crust while the peaches rest (macerate).
Drain the peaches and cook down their liquid until thickened. Add the bourbon and butter after, to keep the flavor bright. Let this cool while you do the next step, so that the filling isn’t hot when you pour it in the crust.
Roll out the lattice crust.
Mix the peaches and the thickened juice, fill the pie, then weave the lattice top.
FREEZE for 30 minutes. Some people refrigerate, but I find that freezing helps the very bottom of the pie to chill as well.
Brush with egg wash and bake. I actually prefer plain milk and a sprinkle of granulated sugar, but that’s just me. You can do just egg, egg and milk, just milk, or nothing!
Chill 2-3 hours then serve!
Tips and notes for this recipe
Use just-ripened peaches
If your peaches are soft to the touch (meaning you can press your finger easily into them), then you’ll end up with bruised portions you can’t use and also with a too-wet filling. Overly ripe peaches have more juice, which means more will release in baking and turn the pie to soup. So stick with the just barely ripe peaches that aren’t as hard as apples but also don’t bruise easily.
Thinly slice peaches
You want about 1/8 inch slices or so. If you do too large of slices, you’ll end up with a filling that’s still yummy and not soupy, but it will likely slide around and not give you that perfect, bakery-style slice. Any thinner than 1/8 inch will end up turning to a peach jam, which is yummy, but not really ideal for pie.
Don’t skip the chilling
Yes, pie crust is notoriously time consuming. But most of that time is spent waiting for a crust to chill or freeze. You let the discs chill before you roll them. You let the crust (or filled pie) freeze before baking/pre-baking it. And you must let the pie cool before serving. Trust me. This is more about the filling than the crust, but many pie troubles happen because a pie wasn’t cooled before cutting. The crust can turn chewy and the filling will almost always run right under the crust and turn it soggy. So trust me: let your pie cool before cutting and serving.
See the crust recipe for more notes
This sounds like a lot of homework, but I swear it’s not! I almost always make my crust a day or two a head of time, and I also almost always make a double or triple recipe and freeze any discs I don’t use. So consider this an investment in future pies and follow the suggestions on measuring the flour, working and shaping the dough, etc.
My pie making tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making pie crusts. Affiliate links provided.
Vegetable peeler or cheese grater
Pastry blender or food processor
Pie pan (Emile Henry has become my favorite!)
Vegetable peeler (for peeling the peaches—you can also blanch them, but I’m terrible at doing that correctly)
You might also like:
Vanilla Chai Apple Pear Galette
Easy Caramel Apple Crumble Tart
Cinnamon Bourbon Peach Pie
- prep time: 20-25 minutes
- rest time: 30 minutes
- freeze time: 30 minutes
- bake time: 45-55 minutes
- total time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
servings: 8-12 (makes one 8” to 10” pie)
Ingredients:
- double batch of brown sugar all butter pie crust (or two your favorite pie crusts)
- 4-6 cups peeled and sliced peaches (*see note)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (22g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons (3-6g) cinnamon
- pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (58g) bourbon
- 1 tablespoon (14g) butter
- optional: 1 egg (and/or 1 tablespoon milk), for brushing the lattice crust
- optional: 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, for the lattice crust
Instructions:
- Make the pie crust discs ahead of time and chill for at least an hour, or up to 2-3 days in advance. You can also freeze them then let thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Peel and slice your peaches. See note below for how to know if you have enough peaches. Also, avoid using overly ripe peaches, as these are often very difficult to peel.
- Mix the peach slices with the brown sugar and let rest in a bowl for 30-60 minutes, until the peaches release their juices.
- While you wait for the peaches to rest, roll out your pie crusts. Lightly flour a clean work surface or rolling mat. Sprinkle a little more flour over the top. Begin rolling out the larger of the two discs (if there is one--it’s fine if their equal size), rotating the rolling pin as you go. I like to imagine it’s a clock and I need to roll it over every hour—so top down is 12 and 6, left right is 3 and 9, etc. Roll it out to be about 3 inches bigger in diameter than your pie pan (e.g. 12” for a 9” pan). Be sure to flip and rotate the dough every so often, sprinkling a tiny bit more flour as needed to 1) keep it from sticking and 2) ensure you’re rolling evenly. If any bits of the edge crack or break, gently press them back together with your hands.
- Sprinkle a small amount of flour on the bottom of your pie pan. Roll about half of the crust onto the rolling pin then gently slide it over the pie pan until centered. Gently lift the edges of the crust and press it into the pan. You want about ½ inch of overhang (meaning past the edge of the pan), so trim anything beyond that. Leave the overhang for now and refrigerate the bottom crust while you make your filling.
- Strain the juices from the peaches using a large fine mesh sieve. Pour the juice into a medium saucepan and place the peaches back into the bowl. Whisk the cornstarch, cinnamon, sea salt, and vanilla into the reserved juices. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Watch carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Once thickened to about the consistency of gravy, remove from heat and whisk in butter and bourbon. Set aside to cool while you roll out your lattice crust. If rolling pie crust takes you a while (no shame--it takes me longer than it should!) or you are delayed in the next few steps, be sure to stir the thickened juice a few times so it doesn’t coagulate.
- Roll the smaller disc out to just slightly larger than the pie pan. Be sure this crust is slightly thinner than the bottom crust--remember, you’re weaving a lattice, so most of this will be two layers of crust overlapping and we don’t want it so thick that it won’t bake. Cut into evenly wide strips. I did about 1” for mine, but you can do ½” or even ¼” and braid strips together.
- Mix the bourbon juice with the peach slices. Pour the filling into the pie pan. Weave the lattice strips on top. This video may help if you’ve never done a lattice top before.
- Trim any lattice strips that go beyond the bottom crust’s overhang. Fold the overhanging crust either under itself or over the lattice pieces (I find that method easier). Crimp or shape as desired--but be sure the edge is resting on the lip of the pie pan and not past the edge or on top of that slanted side of the pie crust itself, or it will collapse or fall into or even out of the pie pan.
- Freeze the entire pie for 30 minutes. This is a good time to preheat your oven to 400.
- Once the pie is frozen, brush lattice and edges with a whisked egg or egg and milk whisked together (or just milk or leave it plain--both of these give a more matte/rustic look). Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Bake at 400 on a foil lined baking sheet for 20 minutes then turn oven down to 375 and bake for 25-35 more minutes, until crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles. Watch carefully and tent loosely with foil or use a pie crust shield if the edges begin to brown too quickly. I find that lattice crusts tend to have this issue, so a shield is great to help protect the edge but allow the lattice to finish baking.
- Let cool completely (usually 2-3 hours minimum) before cutting.
Enjoy! Ideally with your favorite vanilla ice cream!
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container or well-covered and will last 1-2 days on the counter or 3-5 days in the fridge.
The pie can be made ahead and kept, in an airtight container or well-covered for about a day on the counter or 3-5 days in the fridge, but bear in mind that this subtracts from how long leftovers will last.
*Note on peaches: this is one time where what matters is volume, not weight. I like to pour my sliced fruit into my empty pie pan and see how full it gets. You want it full and slightly mounded, since you’ll lose a little volume in the baking. So, the amount of peaches you need really depends on your individual pie pan. If you use more than 6 cups, you’ll want to add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch and possibly increase the sugar and cinnamon to taste.