Paprika Peach Pie

So, somehow it is already more than halfway through September… can someone tell me how this happened?! This month has been a blur so far – I can barely keep track of the date, let alone the day of the week. I know it’s no longer summer or peach season but I have still been itching to share this delicious recipe for peach pie from last month! For those of you who are confused to why someone would ever add paprika to a sweet pie, trust me – or rather trust the genius sisters from the Brooklyn pie shop, Four & Twenty Blackbirds. They have yet to fail me with their creative, delicious recipes! The paprika in this pie adds just some subtle warmth and coziness, as well as a beautiful hue that complements the peaches amazingly. Trust me when I say you will want to add paprika every time you make peach pie from now on.

This pie came about thanks to a hike at Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia. On our way back to Atlanta after the hike, my friends and I passed Jaemor Farms, which is extremely well-known for having some of the best Georgia peaches. And although I am just writing this post now, it was mid-August so it was still prime peach picking and for anyone who knows me, I cannot resist stopping by these farm markets! Jaemor Farms carries so many varieties of peaches (and a ton of other fresh produce, jams, baked goods, and more!), and even though I sampled a bunch of sweet, aromatic peaches, I was overwhelmed by the choices. Fortunately, after telling him I wanted to bake a pie within a day, the friendliest man who works there hand-selected baking peaches that were perfectly ripe and ready to be used that day!

The deep flavor of ripe peaches are really able to shine in this pie, and the spices and sweetness balance each other out so well. The filling holds up just enough so that you can cut it without all the filling running out but it is still juicy and perfectly complemented by the flaky, buttery crust. It is also a fun pie to make for others and have them try to guess that the secret ingredient is paprika!

I am already looking forward to making this Paprika Peach Pie again next summer! Next time, I will not put the pie in the oven at 11 pm before a work day – I increased the oven temperature towards the very end to speed the browning of the crust so I could go to sleep sooner… which explains why there are some singed bits of crust. Learn from my mistake and just stick to the directions! Nevertheless, the pie was delightful and my friends still happily helped me devour this since I was leaving town in a few days and I really should not be eating a whole pie by myself. No one will ever say no to some homemade Georgia peach pie!