This Valentine’s Day – love, and the scent of freshly baked strawberries is in the air! To celebrate this special occasion, I’ve baked a sweet treat for my favorite Valentine’s – a heart-shaped, pink crusted, homemade strawberry pie.

My kids are huge fans of fresh strawberries. But here’s the twist – instead of using artificial pink food coloring, I opted for organic freeze-dried strawberries to give the crust its lovely pinkish hue. To make this pie even more adorable, I stumbled upon the cutest Emile Henry heart-shaped pie dish at Williams Sonoma. I couldn’t resist grabbing it, knowing that it would add an extra touch of love to this already heartfelt dessert. It’s amazing how a simple shape can make something feel so much more special.

But I have to be honest with you – making this pie was no easy feat. It took time, patience, and a whole lot of love. For me however, every minute spent in the kitchen is worth it. The end result was a pie that tasted like pure heaven. The combination of the sweet and juicy strawberries with the buttery crust left us swooning.

So, this Valentine’s Day, or any day, why not bake life sweeter and surprise your loved ones with a heart-shaped pink crust homemade strawberry pie? So go ahead, spread the love and indulge in a slice, or two!

Read on to learn how to bake!

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

Enough for two pie crusts, or for a top and bottom crust.

• ½ Cup Freeze Dried Strawberries, Blended to a Fine Powder (You can use this one here, or find at your local Traders Jo’s. Buy two 1.2 OZ bags in case you need a little extra).
• 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
• 2 and ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour (Spooned + Leveled), plus more for shaping + rolling
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 8 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch-cubes
• 2/3 Cups cold Vegetable Shortening
• ½ Cup Ice Water
• For finishing – 1 Large Egg Beaten with 1 Tablespoon Milk,
• Optional – Coarse Sugar for Sanding

Pie Filling:

• 5 Cups Fresh Strawberries, Quartered
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• ½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• ¼ Teaspoon Salt
• ½ Cup plus 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• ¼ Cup Cornstarch

Instructions:

PRepare pie Crust:

1. With a Vitamix or food processor, blend the entire bag of freeze dried strawberries and granulated sugar to a very fine powder. Then measure 1/2 cup from the blended mixture. Too much can turn your pie crust red.
2. Whisk the strawberry powder, flour and salt together until well combined.
3. Using a pastry cutter, add the butter and shortening until it resembles coarse meal. You’re mixing up the fats into the flour, not completely incorporating it.
4. Measure ½ cup of ice water in a cup.
5. Add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon addition. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. You want the dough to come together, and not feel overly sticky.
6. Transfer pie dough to a floured surface and using floured hands, fold into a ball. If it feels too dry and crumbly, dip your fingers in ice water. If it feels too sticky, add a little bit more flour.
7. Once the pie dough comes together nicely, cut in half with a bench scraper or a sharp knife.
8. Flatten each half of pie dough into a 1-inch-thick disc using. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap.
9. Refrigerate for two hours or up to 5 days. It can be frozen for 3 months.

Note: To ensure a flaky pie crust, you want to see pieces of butter and shortening throughout the pie dough.

Prepare Pie Filling:

1. Quarter 5 cups of fresh strawberries.
2. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, combine the strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla and salt together until incorporated.
3. Add the granulated sugar and cornstarch. Toss well until combined.
4.  In a small bowl, make an egg wash by whisking together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Reserve.

Assemble the Bottom Pie Crust:

1. Remove one pie dough disk from the refridgerator.
2. On a floured surface, roll the disk into a thin 12-inch circle, which is the perfect size to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Start from the center and roll outward. Turn and flip the dough as you go, to ensure it doesn’t stick to your work surface. Add more flour if necessary, and don’t be afraid to use your hands to reshape if needed.
3. You will want your pie dough to be 1/8 inch thick, which is quite thin.
4. Carefully place the dough in the center of your pie dish. You can use your rolling pin to help, by slowly rolling one end of the dough onto it, and then carefully picking it up off your work surface as you go. Then roll it over the top of the pie dish, making sure you have enough overhang.
5. Tuck the dough into the pie dish, and gently press around the interior to remove any excess air, and ensure a flush surface.
6. Trim the excess crust around the edges with scissors so that only ½ inch hangs over the edge.

Assemble the Lattice Pie Crust:

1. Remove the other pie dough disc from the refrigerator.
2. On a floured surface, roll the disk into a thin 12 inch circle. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut 12, ½ to 1 inch wide strips.
3. Place six strips vertically onto your pie dish leaving space between each strip.
4. Starting at the top, alternate vertical pie strips, pulling down half way.
5. Place a single horizontal pie strip across the pie where the strips have been pulled down.
6. Pull the vertical strips back up.
7. Continue to thread the horizontal and vertical strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. 
8. Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small knife to trim off excess dough. Crimp the edges with a fork.
9. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the crust with the egg and milk mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
10. Refrigerate the pie for 30 minutes before baking.

Baking the Pie:

1. While the pie is refrigerating, pre-heat the over to 400 degrees.
2. Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
3. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
4. Remove from the oven, and allow the pie to cool for three hours at room temperature, before serving. This helps the pie thicken up.
5. Cover and store tightly in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Special Tools:

• Freeze Dried Strawberries – 1.2 Ounces
• Mixing Bowl
• Rolling Pin
• Heart Pie Dish
• Pastry Wheel
• Pastry Brush