Easy Strawberry Pie

You know those people that can whip up a homemade, beautiful, Pinterest-worthy dessert, and they say “oh, it was so easy.” Are you rolling your eyes yet? My mother is the epitome of that person. Everything she bakes is homemade and looks like absolute perfection. It also takes her half a day to prepare said dessert. But when you are a new mother, sometimes (or most of the time...) you just don’t have the time or energy to be Martha Stewart.

Looking for an easy hack, I started thinking of my favorite fall desserts and of course, pie (my favorite) was the first to come to mind. So, I used store-bought pie crust (because no one will ever know!) and braided the dough to give it that "made-from-scratch" look. What do ya think? I guarantee guests will think you worked in the kitchen all day.

Do you have an easy berry pie hack you rely on when you’re in a pinch? I’d love to hear!

Ingredients:

Your favorite store-bought pie crust

5-6 cups fresh California Giant strawberries, hulled and sliced in half

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

large pinch of salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 large egg, beaten and granulated sugar for topping

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (or whatever the pie crust package suggests)

In a medium bowl, toss together strawberries, sugars, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice. Toss until all of the cornstarch has disappeared into the strawberries and let rest for 10 minutes. The strawberries will begin to produce juice.

Follow the directions on the pie crust package and transfer the bottom layer to a pie pan. Spoon in the strawberry filling. Cut the top layer of crust in half. Cut the rest of the top layer of crust into three strips and braid until you have a continuous braid around the pie pan. If you have extra, cut it into a strawberry shape and place on top.

Brush the egg wash over the pie crust, then sprinkle with sugar.

Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake the pie for 30 more minutes, or until the crust is golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!