Fall food is the best part of the season—it's warm, toasty, and full of all my favorite ingredients (butter and sugar, this one's for you). But even an experienced diner can be overwhelmed by too many delicious options, especially when the pressure to pick the perfect dish builds up. For me, pie (maybe the most iconic seasonal food) is one of the trickiest to select. To help on the next pie buying adventure, a few friends and I tasted and ranked every pie from local shop Sugarfire Pie. While each one is distinct, and they're all worth trying, but here are our favorites:
1. Pecan pie
This pie was, in short, absolutely delicious. The pecans were soft enough to melt in your mouth but firm enough to stab with a fork. They were caramelized and the slightest bit sweet, but still had that nutty, earthy flavor that we love.
The nuts themselves were surrounded by a super sweet, super moist filling that teetered on the edge of being too sweet, but ended up working perfectly with the rest of the dessert.
The crust was flaky and crumbly, somehow (magic?) managing to stay crunchy even after marinating in the filling for an hour. It lacked a whole lot of flavor, but not in a bad way - it was the perfect container for the pie's flavorful interior.
All in all, I give this pie a 10/10 for its perfectly balanced flavors and tasty, sugary pecans.
2. Pumpkin pie
I've always been a big advocate for pumpkin pie. I just can't turn down that warm, mushy interior. I'm happy to say that this slice was no disappointment.
The pumpkin filling was super thick and really pumpkiny—you can tell that it was made with the real stuff. It was the slightest bit stringy (for lack of a better word) in the same way that true pumpkin is, creating the illusion that you were eating straight fall goodness.
The crust was super moist without being soggy and added a little sweetness to the ensemble. The best part? The toasty, paper thin crunchy layer on top.
I do have to admit that this pie was very much on the savory side. If you're used to the store bought, extra sweet pumpkin, you might be disappointed. I like my desserts a little less sweet, but that's just me.
3. Sugarfire pie
This is Sugarfire's delicious signature pie. Filled with brown sugar, butter, cream, and eggs, this take on a traditionally southern pie had me addicted.
The best words to describe this pie are sweet, sweet, sweet. The filling is super moist and sugary and basically tastes like sugar, melted butter, and cream mixed together (which isn't far from what it is). It has a little bit of a grainy texture, apparently contributed by the addition of cornmeal, that spices things up a bit.
The crust is crumbly beyond belief and also pretty sweet, breaking apart as soon as it enters your mouth. That crackly, flaky top layer covered in confectioner's sugar is the highlight of this pie, adding some crispiness to the mushy interior.
I did love this slice and I think this brand of pie deserves more recognition. That being said, it was just a little bit too sweet for me—I was done after just a few bites. But if you're looking for something new, I definitely recommend trying this unique flavor.
4. Mississipie Mud
This pie might've been more like a brownie than a pie, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. The filling was pure chocolatey goodness, super mushy and rich. Think molten chocolate lava cake meets fudge brownie.
The crispy top was fun to bite into and added some texture. However, the crust itself was chewy and essentially tasted like that brownie in the corner of the baking pan - fun for the first few bites, but then gets a little cumbersome to chew.
I did thoroughly enjoy this pie, and it's perfect if you're a chocolate crazed diner like I am. Just make sure you have a glass of milk next to you before you dig in.
5. Key Lime pie
Warning: I'm not a huge key lime pie fan in the first place, so I may be a little biased with this one. However, my conclusions about it were pretty consistent with my taste testers', so I'll go ahead and include it anyways.
The lime filling for this pie was super tart, more so than the average key lime pie's. It was light and fluffy and left you feeling refreshed, a rare quality for a pretty generous portion of dessert. Each slice was pretty big, so if you're looking for a good value pie this might be the way to go.
My one complaint is that the crust was too thin. Don't get me wrong, the crust that was there was delicious - crispy, flaky, and faintly sweet, it may have been the best crust out of all of the pies. I just wish there was more of it.
If you're a key lime pie fan, don't exclude this slice from your list - it's definitely worth it. I'd just be prepared not to finish the whole thing.
6. Apple pie
The fact that this pie is ranked last absolutely does not mean that it wasn't good. The crumbly top was sugary and thick - it melted in your mouth and was added in generous amounts. I think it's safe to say that those crumbly bits are a lot of peoples' favorite part of apple pie, so that's a huge win for this slice.
The crust itself was a little bland, but stayed consistent with the pie's soft, melt-in-your-mouth quality. It could've been a little crunchier, but that could be due to my leaving it out for a half hour before eating it.
The apple filling was super appley (excuse my fake words). Basically, there wasn't a lot of that sweet, liquidy, pulverized apple filling that most pies have, and the apple slices themselves were barely cooked. The result was a super crisp, fresh pie.
I do appreciate that - it makes the dessert a little fresher. But I do think it was a little inconsistent with the messy crumbles and soft crust.
Again, though, this pie was by all means still good and worth the space in my stomach. A scoop of ice cream and a little time in the oven would bring it to the next level, unifying all the separate components a little bit - maybe I'll try that next time.
Although I had to rank each of these, all pie, to me, seems to be worth eating. Put any of these in front of me again and I'll happily dig in. I should recognize that I got all of these from Sugarfire Pie in St. Louis, so this ranking is debatably applicable for pies from all over. But if you're looking to explore Sugarfire, which I absolutely recommend that you do, this list should steer you in the right direction.