National Pie Day. Raise your hand if you knew it was January 23rd? I’ll keep mine lowered. Once I heard it on the morning news, I knew I’d be baking our favorite, German Chocolate Pie.

german chocolate pie — German Chocolate Pie

I am a Pie Girl

Do you like pie? I love eating pie. I love going to restaurants and diners with their rotating display shelves loaded with pies. I love all of the different kinds of pies. Fruit pies. Cream pies. Streusel topped pies. I like them all! I am definitely a Pie Girl!

And, I love to bake pies. I bake my elderly neighbor a Rhubarb pie every spring to bring back memories of his sweet mama. I bake classic apple for Handsome Hubby, as it is his absolute favorite. My kids both love cream pies, so coconut cream and chocolate are often in the refrigerator.

Then, there’s this German Chocolate Pie.

Everyone in our family loves this pie. It was created by Grandma Grunt (or Meat Cleaver Margaret, but that’s another story). Margaret is grandma to Handsome Hubby and the namesake for our daughter. She was the head baker for years at the local lakeside resort. Diners would beg for her recipes. She’d always give them to whomever asked. She even taught one lucky baker her recipes one afternoon knowing that he was taking the recipes back to his restaurant with him! They still use those same pie recipes at his restaurant in Claremore, OK. She didn’t care; she loved sharing recipes!

She and I have baked together often over the years and her cream pies are the treats most often requested by all the family. I feel really special to have these recipes and to carry on the tradition of baking for loved ones. My philosophy is “sharing is caring” and I don’t believe in secrets. Bake my recipes and share the love with your loved ones. Though Margaret isn’t baking any longer, at 92, she’d be thrilled to know that her recipes are still being used.