Grandmother’s Strawberry Pie

Posted by on Saturday, May 25th, 2013

tara cooks strawberry pie

When I think about spring and summer, I am often taken back to my childhood where I find myself helping Grandmother pick fresh strawberries from her own patch, or at her backyard picnic table being served up a cold slice of her Strawberry Pie.  I treasure  my copy of Grandmother’s hand written recipe for her Strawberry Pie as much as I treasure all the times we have spent together.  I have learned so much in her presence. Today I am sharing the recipe my sweet Grandmother passed along to me with all my followers.  Strawberry picking here in Tennessee will soon come to an end, so get your fresh berries now and make a pie or two to share with those you love.

Grandmother's Strawberry Pie

The Crust:

You will need either a regular pastry crust that has been cooked already, or you can make your own graham cracker crust.  Here’s how I make my graham cracker crust:

  • 1/3 box Honey Graham crackers crumbs (I put mine in a gallon Zip Lock bag and pound away with the flat end of my extra special hand carved rolling pin- more on that later).
  • 3/4 stick melted butter
  • ¼ cup sugar

Pour graham cracker crumbs in a deep dish pie plate, pour butter and sugar over crumbs.  Mix well then press mixture firmly with a fork, the flat bottom of a glass, or some other suitable kitchen gadget.

The Pie:

Wash, cap, and halve about 2 cups fresh strawberries.  Toss them into the pie crust and spread them evenly.

Bring 1 cup water to a rolling boil in a small sauce pan.

While water is heating, combine 1 cup sugar, 3 Tablespoons Wild Strawberry Jello and 3 Tablespoons corn starch in a small mixing bowl.  When water boils, add Jello mixture to the boiling water, stirring constantly with wire whisk.  Continue boiling and stirring until mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Pour over berries and place in refrigerator.

The Topping:

One could certainly use fresh whipped cream for the topping.  Here’s a whipped cream cheese version also:

Beat 1 3 oz package of room temperature cream cheese with ½ cup powdered sugar.  Whip ½ pint real whipping cream and fold in the cream cheese mixture. Spread over firmed strawberry pie and enjoy!

I also discovered that one small package of Jello is approximately 6 Tablespoons.  This recipe could easily be doubled by using a whole package of Jello, 6 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 cups boiling water, and 4 cups strawberries.  The topping could be made with an 8 oz package of cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, and a whole pint of whipping cream.  Make two pies and be the Hero of the Day!

Printable Recipe

Grandmother’s Strawberry Pie

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Filed in Desserts,Pies and Cakes | One response so far

One Response to “Grandmother’s Strawberry Pie”

  1. Faye Crippson 25 May 2013 at 6:34 am 1

    Tara, I had been thinking about a dessert for Memorial Day but had not made a decision …until…. I saw this recipe and remembered the goodness of Strawberry Pie. Thank you for sharing.

    Faye