Thanksgiving is my Olympics. I say this as a person who regularly has smudges of flour on her clothes (and face). I train all year for the one fateful day where it makes total sense to bake as many pies as possible—enough to feed my wonderfully large family and still have leftovers for breakfast pie in the days that follow. This year, as I was finishing my cookbook, I had a little less pie play time on my hands. Instead of dreaming up a towering three-tiered wonder or pies inspired by other desserts, like I’ve done in years past, I wanted to create some pies that looked impressive but were easy to pull off.

This year, a pumpkin sugar pie and epic single crust apple are on the menu. And while they may look too pretty to slice into, don't let that stop you.

Words by Erin McDowell at Food52

[Photos via Food52 by Ren Fuller]