Sweet Slice of Life: How to Host a Girls Pie Party
Sweet memories will be baked into every slice as you gather your girlfriends around the kitchen island. A magical night with flour dusting the air and your oven humming in the background. This is the perfect pre Thanksgiving activity. A Girls Pie Party is cozy but bougie as everyone makes a pie for their upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and the laughter will roll as fast as the rolling pins.
This is a great substitute to Friendsgiving as you’re still able to celebrate friendship and gratitude but not worry about squeezing it in during the busy long weekend of Thanksgiving.
Why You’ll Love Hosting a Girls Pie Party
Entertainment is Built In – The activity is the party – rolling, filling, baking and decorating.
Insta Worthy – This is a beautifully aesthetic gathering. Rows of pies with golden crusts, fresh fruit and your stunning friends.
Take-Home Treat – No one leaves empty handed – everyone goes home with a pie to share with their family or on the couch with a good Netflix movie.
How to Host the Best Pie Party
There is no way for this to fail but here’s a few tips to make it go smoothly.
1. Invitations with a Twist
Send a playful invite: Bring Your favourite apron and a pie pan. Plan to bake something sweet. There will be a prize for the favourite apron – will it be cute, cheesy or homemade.
2. Set the Scene
Decor: Think rustic chic with pie stands, gingham or linen runners, fresh flowers and candles in mason jars. Place your pies on different levels using cake stands, wood boards or overturned bowls draped with linens.
Apron Fashion Show: Make sure to get a group photo in your aprons and get ready to vote. Have everyone vote for their favourite apron. Make sure you do a little catwalk show before the voting.
Music: You want something upbeat so you can have some good rolling pin energy. Maybe a little Dolly Parton.
3. The Pie Bar Setup
Everyone is going to make 2 pies. One to take home and one for everyone to taste. Or we just used some frozen tart shells to fill with a little of the left over filling so that we could each taste our friends pie creation. Either option works and probably depends on how many gals you have at your pie party.
Create stations for your girls. Each station will need:
- rolling pin,
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups
- premade crusts
- a few store bought crusts ( in case you’ve got a guest without a pies hell or a pie pall that is not a baker)
Create a central spot with essentials:
- flour
- pastry cutters
- bowls of fruit
- sugars
- spices
- vanilla and almond extract
What you won’t have:
A RECIPE – let your girls use their imaginations and if they need to they can look something up on the internet. Let expression and creativity reign.
4, Bake, Laugh, Eat
After each guest has assembled their pie, pop one of them in the oven. While your pies bake:
- Have a seated dinner
- Sip cocktails and snack on a simple grazing board
- Host your fashion show for the winning apron
- Snap lots of photos of your flour dusted pie makers and their pies.
5. Slice and Share
You’ve got 2 pies from each gal. One for sharing and One to take home.
Sharing Pie
Line up the pies that your girls are going to share. Set it up to look like a beautiful buffet. Hand out small plates and fork, and let everyone sample mini slices from each creation. This is also true even if you decided to do tarts. Make sure to create a fancy buffet either way.
Take Home Pie
Provide parchment paper or pie boxes for your guests to take home their Thanksgiving pie. You’ll likely have lots of pie left from the sharing line up so you can also provide and extra box for them to take some of the leftovers.
The Best Pie
Although their isn’t a prize for the best pie; make sure to take some time to give some sweet compliments to each other about their recipe. Share your recipes with each other. Provide recipe cards so everyone can steal the recipes of their favourite pies.
What to Serve for Your Pie Pals
Since everyone will end the evening with some sweet slices let’s balance out the menu with some savory ideas.
Savory Nibbles
- Pot Pies – These are on theme and easy to make ahead. A chicken pot pie or a Shepherd’s pie would be perfect on a fall evening. Cozy Chicken Pot Pie (Family Favourite Recipe)
- Charcuterie Board – Don’t feel obligated to serving your pie pals a full meal. Offer a spread of cheeses, cured meats, pickles and crackers for grazing while the pies bake.
- Mini quiches or Savory Hand Pies – Still keeping with the pie theme but smaller and more cocktail style.
Fresh Balance
- Crisp Salad – A big bowl of greens with toppings like candied pecans, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and a light vinaigrette.
- Fruit Platter – Fresh berries, melon and cheese provide a refreshing contrast to the buttery crusts.
Drinks To Pair
Signature Cocktail – Try an Apple Cider Mimosa or a Sparkling Pear Spritz
Mocktail: Sparkling Apple Cider with rosemary sprigs or a Lemonade
Coffee and Tea Station: Essential for pairing with pie slices at the end of the night.
Pro Tips for a Perfect Pie Party
Lots of great ideas to make this party extra special for your Pie Pals
Fun Pie Names
Provide your Pie Pals with place cards so they can name their pies something funny or fabulous.
- Cutie Pie
- Oh My Gourd
- Fall Harvest Pie
- Twinkle Tart
Competition
If you’ve got a group of gals that love competition add some more fun awards.
- Best Apron
- Tastiest Filling
- Most Beautiful Crust
- Most Creative
- Messiest Baker
If you want to give out prizes for the awards consider some of these
- engraved rolling pin – flowers or lattice
- lattice cutter
- fancy pie dish
- high end vanilla extract
- pie bird
- can of cherry pie filling turned into a trophy
FAQ
What if my friends aren’t bakers? Encourage sore bought fillings and you’re supplying the crust so that let’s everyone know this is about fun, not perfection.
Do I nee to provide all the ingredients? You can! Or you can ask everyone to bring a specific item. You’ll stock the basics: flour, sugar, butter.
Can we prep ahead of time? Yes; if you’re short on time have your friends prep fillings at home and just assemble at the party.
Final Slice
Hosting a Girls Pie Party is about more than pie; it’s about rolling out some pastry and some laughs, creating memories as sweet as the pie and sending your girls home with a pie made with love to share with their loved ones.
Grab you rolling pins and your girlfriends.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter very cold and cubed
- 6-8 Tbsp ice water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar
- Add cold butter cubes and cut into the flour with a pastry cutter (or pulse in a food processor) until pea-sized crumbs form.
- Drizzle in ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing gently with a fork until dough just holds together.
- Divide dough in half, shape into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour before rolling out.
- Roll dough on a floured surface, place in pie dish, trim edges as needed.
Tip
- For extra flakiness, keep everything as cold as possible – chill your rolling pin and even the flour if your kitchen is warm.
What You Need
- fruit, pecans, chocolate, filling ingredients
- pastry
- pie making supplies
- pie boxes for taking home
- prizes for awards
- place cards for pie names
- recipe cards to share the best recipes
