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Bob Andy Pie is sweet, soft, cinnamon-spiced custard pie with roots in the Midwest Amish communities of Illinois, Indiana and Missouri.
OCT. 15, 2011 UPDATE: This delicious pie won a 3rd place
in the 2011 Malibu Pie Contest! Yahoo!
* * *
One bite of this sweet, soft, cinnamon-spiced custard pie, and my daughter, 13, said,
“Can you make this for Christmas?”
Why yes, I can, and I will! They don’t call me the pie lady of Malibu for nuthin’ !
It has a fabulously funny name – Bob Andy Pie – and old roots in the Midwest Amish communities of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, but it feels right at home today, when we crave simple, comforting flavors and value the utter ease of a dessert for which you will already have all the ingredients. Some might think of it as a spiced chess pie. Others liken it to a Sugar Cream Pie, a staple that is popular in Indiana.
Why is it called Bob Andy Pie?
Bob Andy? Say what?
The common story goes that an Amish farmer came in from working in the fields, took one bite of this delicious pie and said, “This pie is as good as Bob and Andy.” Bob and Andy were his two prize gelding plow horses.
That works for me! I guess it speaks to my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage.
One intriguing feature of this pie is that the ample cinnamon floats to the top while baking, making a dark top, and giving the impression of layers. It’s a very pretty pie when cut!
So this Christmas, I’ll use the beautiful serving dish I got from my late Aunt, I’ll gaze at the ornaments my grandmother made for my family 50 years ago, and Bob Andy Pie will grace my table.
Everything old is new again. Which suits me fine.
Pour filling into prepared pie shell with fluted edge
Baked pie emerges a gorgeous brown
The brown top is cinnamon that floated to the top!
Bob Andy Pie Recipe
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzeys)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (10-inch) pie shell (home made, or use Pillsbury)
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Crack eggs in a medium bowl and whisk. Whisk in milk. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt and whisk into milk mixture.
Pour filling into unbaked pie shell. Bake until custard has set and crust is golden, about 50 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool and serve at room temperature or chilled.
Serves 8.
Cook’s notes
Some recipes call for ground cloves, as well. If you decide to add cloves, start with a pinch, because clove flavor can be strong! Other cooks add some ground nutmeg. There is something pure and simple about the clear cinnamon flavor, though. And some recipes separate the eggs and have you whip the whites and fold them in. In my experience, this isn’t necessary, and probably not original. The texture of this pie is soft, custardy and comforting.
Source
You can find versions of this recipe all over the Internet and in community cookbooks. I used and slightly adapted a version found here at the lovely ThreeManyCooks.
Update Jan. 2011
Reader Jane (see below) suggested an alternative:
— No cinnamon
— 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
— 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
I tried it and liked it! It’s a stronger flavor (from the cloves), but both my husband and I really enjoyed it. My kids did not, and favored the all-cinnamon version. Suit yourself. Thanks, Jane, for the variation idea!
Pin the image below for Bob Andy Pie to your Pinterest board to save this recipe
Looking for another Christmas pie to try?
Blue Ribbon Coffee-Toffee Pecan Pie
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Can this pie (Bob Andy) be frozen?
Linda,
Truthfully, I have never frozen it, so I don’t know for sure. I don’t think so, since most custard pies don’t freeze well. Sometimes they “weep” upon defrosting, which is not a desired effect. If you try it, come back and tell me if it works! Now you have me intrigued.
My mother in law always uses canned milk for this pie.
fascinating. I have heard of sugar cream pie, but I want to try this, too.
Can you make this with a ready made crust? Would it be alright to bake for 50 minutes?
Sheral,
Yes to both. It does call for either a home made or store bought crust. Pillsbury in the red box is my favorite store bought crust. And yes, it calls for 50 minutes in the oven.
I am definitely going to try this pie! LOVE cinnamon!
We’ve had a Bob Andy recipe in our family for generations! It’s a favorite at any holiday! I had my Mother make 10 for my wedding reception. Because my parents had decided to name me Robert Andrew if I had been a boy! Thanks for sharing the Bob Andy love!
Katie,
I think it is not only funny, but BRILLIANT to serve Bob Andy Pie at your wedding reception!
I loved this pie! Though mine have never turned out as beautiful as yours, they have always been delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Lindsay,
I happen to think your pie is gorgeous!
I love the cinnamon pie. Everytime I have made it, everyone raves about it. Thank you for that recipe from many months ago. I also like that you tell what part of the oven to put the rack on.
Tammy,
So glad you like it! I just made it on Sunday, the day after I made 6 pies for the pie contest. I had to make something for my family, or they would mutiny!
We love that one. My husband had the leftover piece for breakfast. So good! The reason the pie is put on the bottom shelf of the oven is so the crust cooks. The pie doesn’t bake all that long (as pies go), so it needs the higher heat to cook the crust.
I love the idea of a custard pie! And the fact that the cinnamon floats to the top – beautiful layers indeed. Since you’re the “pie lady,” let’s just skip a step; you come over here and just make me a pie. I’ll trade you for garden citrus 😛
[K]
Bob Andy pie has been a recipe in our family dating back to about Civil War times. As far as we know we do not have any Pennsylvania Dutch roots so it would be interesting to know how we acquired the recipe. Our version calls for 1/2 tsp. cloves and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg. Our receipe does not call for cinnamon at all. The only other person in our area of Kentucky that I know of with this recipe is a Mennonite woman.
Jane, I love the Kentucky idea of your cloves and nutmeg. I am going to try that!
Jane, I tried it and liked it! I put a note in the recipe about your version. Thank you!
i love custard pies! i never heard of the bob andy pie. thanks for the education! it looks yummy.
I have never heard of this pie.. but being a pie lover I am definitely going to have to add this to my list of pies to try – especially since I love anything with spices in it!
What a beautiful dessert. Nice to know that it’s as simple as it is gorgeous. While I tend toward the chocolate side of the dessert table, this just may make it to my New Year’s Eve festivities. (Someone else does all the cooking for Christmas, otherwise I’d plan one for that holiday, too!)
Best,
Casey
This is very similar to an old favourite South-African desert recipe called Milk Tart! Great to see it here!
This pie looks amazing Dorothy! And perfect for Christmas. Thanks for the recipe and the link up!
Coming from Ohio, and having lived in Amish country, I’ve got a bunch of Amish recipes – but not this one. I love the layered look you get when you cut into this pie. And I can never get enough cinnamon.
Hi Dorothy! This pie is in the oven baking happily and I am anxious to taste it’s glory. Mmm. Thanks for yet another soon to be family recipe.
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