5 ‘Pi Pie’ Recipes For Celebrating National Pi Day

National Pi Day is March 14, and is a great occasion for having some fun learning mathematics.

Pi Day is observed on March 14 because 3, 1 and 4 are the first three significant digits of Pi in decimal form. 2015 is an especially special year to celebrate Pi Day, because the date (3/14/15) and time of day (9:26:53 a.m./p.m.) will represent the first 10 digits of Pi.

Pi Day is often celebrating by eating pie and discussing the significance of the number. Some schools hold contests for students who can recall Pi to the highest number of decimal places.

Before digging in, compose a math lesson that calculates fractions and percentages of ingredients. You can also teach units of measurement with the recipes.

The Apple Pi

This recipe won Serious Eats Pi(e) Day Baking Challenge in 2012. It’s a simple apple pie recipe, but with a fun pi twist. The granny smith apple filling is cut into number shapes using cookie cutters, and the pie crust is also decorated with number shapes.

Recipe courtesy of APeriodicTableBlog.com, via Instructables.com:

for the base/top:

• 2 ready-made pie crusts (or 3, if you're doing the number thing/want any sort of decorations for the insides (please see note below)
• 6 apples (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

for the top of the crust:

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bake the pie for 15 minutes. When your 15 minutes has passed, reduce the temperature of your oven to 350 F and bake until the top crust is lightly browned, the apple filling is bubbling, and the apples are tender when tested through the slit in the crust with a toothpick, about 40-45 minutes. 

See the full recipe.

Nutella Pie Pops

These tasty treats are extremely easy to make. It’s a simple matter of pressing a dollop of Nutella between two tiny pastry rounds, and baking for 20-25 minutes. Add a little Pi symbol on top for some extra Pi-zazz.

Recipe courtesy of Babble.com:

Crust:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup shortening, chilled and cut into pieces
• 2-4 Tbsp. ice-cold water
• 1 small jar Nutella milk or cream, for brushing popsicle or lollipop sticks coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes about a dozen pie pops.

See the full recipe. 

The Pi Pie

The full name of this recipe is “To 3.14 or not to pie,” and is a beautiful pi-symbol-shaped pie. The original recipe calls for cherry filling, but any fruit will do. The mold will take some time and extra effort to perfect, but it’s undoubtedly worth it in the end.

Recipe courtesy of hertzgamma, via Instructables.com:

For the crust:

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt 3 tablespoons sugar 200 grams cold unsalted butter some cold water

For the filling: A jar of fruit compote - any fruit will work, so it is your choice

Tools you need for the overall process:

• Food processor, dough cutter, or fork & knife
• Kitchen alluminium foil
• Rolling pin
• Soldering iron for the ingraving

The pie takes around π/2 degrees turn of the clock minute arrow to bake. Let me rephrase this: bake the pie 15 minutes at 190 degrees.

See the full recipe.

Mini Pi(es)

This recipe is great for a classroom (and big enough for everyone to have seconds, maybe even thirds!) Each little pie represents the first 101 digits of pi, and can be arranged by flavor to represent the mathematical symbol. The recipes walks you through three delicious flavors: caramelized mango, strawberry/raspberry chai, and blueberry.

Recipe courtesy of brooklynbrownie, via Instructables.com

Caramelized Mango Filling

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 16 oz mango puree
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons corn starch

Strawberry/Raspberry Chai Filling

• 24 oz diced strawberries
• 24 oz raspberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 packet of chai tea

Blueberry Filling

• 48 oz blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons corn starch

Brush pi digits and decimal point with an egg wash and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely then arrange, admire, and enjoy!

See the full recipe.

Pi(e) Chart Fruit Pizza

This pie is broken into three yummy sections, featuring your student’s favorite fruits. Because this recipe makes a Circle Graph, can also be tied in to a lesson about graphs and/or fractions. Ask your students to vote for their favorite of three flavors, and arrange the pie sizes according to the data recorded.

Recipe courtesy of AshleyShea, via Instructables.com

• 3 different flavors of pie filling (found in the bakery aisle)
• 1 box of pre-made dough for pie crust (in the refrigerated section) Double check that each box contains two crusts.

See the full recipe.

By Samantha DiMauro, Education World Contributor