Flapper Pie

Name: Flapper Pie
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 39 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs; 6 tablespoons Melted Butter; 1/2 cup Sugar; 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon; 2 1/2 cups Milk; 1/2 cup Sugar; 1/4 cup Cornstarch; 3 Egg Yolks; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1/4 tsp Salt; 3 Egg White; 1/4 cup Sugar; 1/4 tsp Cream Of Tartar

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Dessert recipe with Canadian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 58 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 39 min total

1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
6 tablespoons Melted Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 1/2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Cornstarch
3 Egg Yolks
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Egg White
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Cream Of Tartar

Step-by-step instructions

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Mix all the crust ingredients (graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, granulated sugar and ground cinnamon) in a medium bowl. Set aside about 2 Tbsp (30 mL) for later and press the mixture into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate in the bottom and up the sides. Bake crust for 10 minutes, it will only brown slightly.
Combine the vanilla custard filling ingredients (milk, granulated sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, vanilla extract and salt together) and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until it bubbles and thickens to the texture of pudding. Set aside to cool while you make the meringue topping.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment or in a large bowl using an electric mixer beat the meringue ingredients (egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar) together until it holds stiff and glossy peaks.
To assemble the pie, pour the filling into the crust and top with a thick layer of the meringue, making little spikes that will brown on top. Sprinkle the reserved crumb over the top and place it into the preheated oven.
Bake until the meringue browns, around 10 minutes, making sure to watch it carefully.
Chill in the fridge and eat within a few hours of baking. This pie is best eaten the same day as the meringue will soften and liquify.

Why this works on a weeknight

Flapper Pie lands at about 39 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Sweet Finishes collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Flapper Pie actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍮 Sweet Finishes Dessert Canadian