I love pie, but don’t make it that often. Basically I wait until the boys are around. I taught younger son to make pie, so sometimes I can get him to make it. One of the things he observed is that nearly every time he makes pie, he does something wrong. (Forgets the lemon, adds too much cinnamon, forgets to put dabs of butter under the crust etc.) Pie (unlike cake) is very forgiving. I highly recommend googling the vodka pie crust from Cook’s Illustrated. It’s wonderfully flakey and very easy to roll out.
I was getting all excited about suggestions, but I see I’m too late to the party! 
This is an interesting link:
https://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Olallieberries_7698.php
I am definitely making this one, albeit with some other berry!
http://www.dessertsforbreakfast.com/2010/07/olallieberry-extra-dark-mocha-cupcakes.html
BTW, if you are afraid of pie crust, try a crust made with ground nuts (and flour, butter, sugar, etc) that you just press into the tart tin. You’ll need a classic tart tin with removable bottom.
Those cupcakes look delicious. I’m not so much afraid of pie crust I’ve just not attempted it. Every couple of years I make mini tarts and I make my own crust.
My biggest issue with any baking is that my H is not a sweet eater. For example I made two galettes with the Ollalieberry filling. He ate a small piece of one of them last night. This morning I asked him if he had a piece for breakfast, his answer was no. How can someone walk by a galette and have a tiny bowl of plain yogurt with raisins and walnuts.I pushed him to take a piece to work to give our D. I was left this morning with a whole galette and part of the first one. I on the other hand could eat an entire galette myself. I finished the first one and put the whole 2nd one in the freezer. If I made those cupcakes he would eat ONE and that’s it. Very frustrating.
You can add more berries, the thickener in the jar will probably be enough.
@mom60 , my sympathies. I love to bake, but have T2 diabetes, so I cannot afford to have baked goods in the house. I make things for coffee hour at church. 
I take one piece–which is bad enough–and get rid of the rest. 
I eat about one cookie a year and probably the equivalent of a slice of cake or pie a calendar year.
I just do not like sweets and rarely crave them and then one bite is plenty. H eats a pie in three days.
But show me a savory and I am into it in the middle of the night :D.
I can bake but choose not too as there is no reward for me.
Sorry that your efforts were not appreciated. It sounded wonderful and I would have eaten at least three bites!
I got all excited… a new berry I had not heard about. Boy was I disappointed when I looked it up, and it was just a blackberry… let’s say, after several months of dealing with Himalayan blackberries in our forest, I am not a fan of any blackberry.
I love to bake pies. My late MIL was a wonderful baker and even as she aged and developed Parkinson’s, she found was somehow able to keep the shakes away when she was rolling out a pie crust. Once she had given up driving, DH would often bring her to a doctor’s appointment in the AM, then bring her back to our home afterwards, where she helped me (and her grandpups) practice making pies, and after dinner, we’d bring her back home. I used to get so frustrated about how terrible I was at rolling out the crusts, and I will never forget her saying “It’s a pie, not a sacrament!” We’d make a couple pies, put one in freezer and have the other for a couple days’ desserts.
I know it meant a lot to her to help teach my pups how to bake a pie, and they said it was a good omen that she passed away on pi day (March 14th) a few years back.
^sweet
Someone I know got married on pi day. She was a scientist. They served pie at their wedding.
My son insisted on pie for his birthday growing up and never cake. I always thought he had good taste!
For those of you who use a premade crust, which one do you think is best?
Pillsbury roll out typically by the tubes of rolls and biscuits in the refrigerated section.
Friend of mine is a true baker and always compliments my quiche crust. Never told her the source :P.
Most of the time I use my own crust (for fruit pies), but I will admit to enjoying Trader Joe’s premade crust - just let it defrost enough ahead of time - when I have made pot pies.
Some people swear by Pet Ritz, supposedly the choice of the originator of key lime pie.
I’ll be using premade crusts this Christmas. Maybe I’ll try all 3 and do our own “taste test!”
Thanks @oregon101, @3puppies, @Consolation
I make my own crusts but my mother swore by Mrs. Smith’s frozen crusts. She always had compliments.
If you live in an area with Publix supermarkets, try the Publix brand Rich and Flaky refrigerated pie crusts. They’re even better than the Pillsbury ones.
No Publix here, @cmfl11, but I appreciate the recommendation!
Has anyone tried this readymade crust from Austria?
http://wewalka.us/product/pie-crust
I’m making chicken pot pie for tonight, and just saw these at our small local grocer. The package says they’re 25% thicker than other brands - is that a good thing? I always thought thicker meant heavy and dense - I try to roll out my crusts as thin as possible, but maybe thicker is better for pot pie? I’ll give an update after I try it.
On another note, I used the Cook’s Illustrated crust recipe for my Thanksgiving pies, and one set of crusts was too dry and cracked when I rolled it out - so frustrating. I made each batch separately in the food processor and all seemed identical, but one was obviously heavier on the flour. I’ve been making homemade pasta lately and I’ve taken to weighing the flour rather than measuring, so I think that’s what I’ll do from now on with pie crust.
@Gourmetmom I just tried that crust last week! My mom tried it on a quiche and really liked it. So, I got it to try on an apple pie for Thanksgiving. I thought it was so-so. I actually prefer Pillsbury. It was thicker and not as flaky, IMO. I also thought it was more difficult to work with. Despite letting it sit at room temp for the recommended amount of time, it cracked when I unrolled it and I had to pinch it back together in several spots. I won’t be buying it again. (It’s also more expensive)
The pie is in the oven. The package directions said not to roll it out, so I used it as is and it was easy to handle - the parchment paper liner is a nice touch. I do think it’s a tad skimpy for a 9" plate, and I would have liked a little more to work with to make an attractive edge. We shall see how it tastes, and I agree that it has to be significantly better to justify the higher cost - $3.49 each, so that’s $7 for one pie.