Mom's Raw Peach Pie - on brown sugar biscuits or cinnamon sugar pie crust
There are only a few basic ingredients:
fresh peaches – peeled and sliced
sugar – to sweeten the peaches
whipped cream – I prefer homemade
your favorite biscuit mix OR pie crust recipe
cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on your biscuits/pie crust
brown sugar (optional, if you’re using the biscuit method)
To prep your raw peach pies, begin by peeling and slicing your peaches. Sample a few slices to determine how sweet your peaches really are. If they need it, add a few tablespoons of sugar, give them a good stir, and place them in the refrigerator to macerate for at least one hour. If you don’t need extra sugar on your peaches, e-mail me immediately and let me know where you’re buying yours. Our peaches smell fabulous, but they’re not very sweet.
The next step is deciding which crust appeals to you – are you a biscuit guy/gal or a pie crust person? If you’re making pie crust, simply use your favorite recipe, roll the dough into a rectangle and place it on a baking sheet. Brush the pie dough with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 425F until the crust turns a beautiful shade of light brown, as if you’re baking a pie. Remove from the oven and allow the pie crust to cool to slightly warm or even room temperature. Can you cheat and use that store-bought brand that comes in a box and rolls out? Absolutely! Who’s going to know except you?
If you are a biscuit lover, grab your favorite biscuit mix. I prefer Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix, but if you are a loyal Bisquick user, that works, too. Depending on how many people you’re serving, measure the biscuit mix into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar for extra flavor (this is dessert, after all), stirring to combine it with the biscuit mix. Then add enough milk or buttermilk to form a nice biscuit dough. Place it on a floured surface and roll it to approximately 3/4″ thick. Cut into round biscuits, placing them on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 425F until they are fluffy and light brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool to slightly warm or even room temperature.
While your pie crust or biscuits are baking, beat up a batch of homemade whipping cream. I like to use one pint of really cold heavy cream, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. You can use vanilla extract. It works just as well, but I love those vanilla bean flavor flecks you get with vanilla bean paste, so if you can find it, use it. You’re worth it.
To assemble, grab a serving bowl or plate and begin with a layer of pie crust or biscuit. If you’re using biscuits, I like to split them in half. If you’re using pie crust, just grab your slab of cinnamon sugar crust and break it into serving dish size pieces. Top your crust of choice with a big spoonful of sweet peaches and 
a dollop of whipping cream, then create another layer. You can stack them as high as you like; the sky and gravity are the limits. Or you can just pile cut biscuits or pie crust into the bottom of a bowl and top it with peaches if presentation is not high on your priority list. It’s your bowl; do whatcha’ wanna do. Now for the big flourish – top with a generous blob of whipped cream and you’re done. Grab a spoon and a glass of ice tea and enjoy the best summer and my Momma has to offer. Thanks, Mom.
Inside NanaBread's Head 
“Our peaches smell fabulous, but they’re not very sweet.” Don’t you hate that? Happens all the time with so many fruits. With berries it’s easy to sneak a couple to check them, but not so with peaches, watermelon, honeydew and the like. I got lucky with some cantaloupes the other day – smelled and tasted wonderful.
This peach pie looks sooo yummy!
Yes, I hate it when fruit smells and feels ripe, but then has no flavor! Whatever happened to fresh, picked-off-a-tree produce these days? Even tomatoes have the perfect “look” but are hard and unripe when you cut them. I’m finding myself buying more and more organic produce these days, and hitting the farmer’s markets. On the up side, I did score 6-ounce boxes of red raspberries for $1.00 a box this weekend. Unheard of! They’re usually $3.50 each. I bought 10 boxes, came straight home, and made raspberry jam. Mmmmm…. my house smelled SO good!
Yum, that looks and sounds so delicious!
You’ll have to try it next time you get your hands on some good peaches. It’s fresh and easy and fabulous, and the girls could help you make them.
Ok, I don’t EVER remember moms looking that good, although it was always delicious!! You’re making me hungry, I think I will have to score me some peaches soon!!
Mom never worried about photographing hers, I guess. Plus, we were always at her elbows waiting for her to hand it over!
Oh sweet nectar of the Gods… this is one of my favorite summer dishes. Mom usually just layered it in a big bowl and we scooped it out and added the whipped cream. When there were leftovers (after you all moved out), I would eat it cold for breakfast. Nummy!
Now you need to cover homemade ice cream. Crank, crank, crank, it’s your turn. Don’t forget the additional tip on how to kill your obnoxious neighbor’s cotton wood tree (that dear mother was allergic to) with the salt water from the ice cream machine. I’m not saying we did it, I’m just saying it can be done…
I also have fond memories of sitting around the picnic table in the back yard munching on ice cold watermelon (no forks thank you) and spitting seeds. I always wanted, and usually got, the piggy tail end of the watermelon. You know the piggy tail, it’s the piece with the stem!
Now I KNOW it had to be after I moved out, because we NEVER had leftovers! It’s funny to look back now and think “geez…how many peaches did Mom have to slice up to feed 7 of us?” I’ll put that on my “things I never thought of when I was a kid” list. And we are planning to make homemade ice cream soon. We made cherry pecan with the grandkids last weekend. It was awesome! The only problem with your plan is that we have one of those little electric ice cream makers, not the old-fashioned crank version. And my neighbors don’t have any obnoxious trees to pour leftover rock salt water on. I’m not saying I would do it if they did; I’m just saying it could be done. I’d totally forgotten about your penchant for the piggy-tail end of the watermelon. Thanks for that flashback. I do, however, remember the big birthday cake Mom made that looked like a watermelon. It was red velvet with chocolate chips (for the seeds), baked in a metal mixing bowl so it had a curved shape, and frosted to look like a watermelon rind. That cake totally rocked. If there were more than 2 of us at home, I’d totally make one for July 4th just for old time’s sake. Speaking of… here’s wishing you a very, very happy birthday on the 4th. You always were our little firecracker – in more ways than one. Hope your birthday is special, Baby sis!
Any dessert that is served in layers is A-OK in my book. I am usually a peach cobbler with biscuit or sugar cookie topping kind of gal–depends on how sweet the peaches are. But I must say that I much prefer peaches raw, so I’ll have to remember your formula when peaches are in season here. At the end of August. Which is like…forever from now.
I like your sisters, and one of these days I’m going to crash Hoegarden. But not in a creepy-stalker way.
BTW–Son #1 was due July 4th, but got impatient that he came 2 weeks early. He’s still a firecracker.
You’ll have to let me know what you think once your peaches come into season. I can’t believe you have to wait until August, but at least you’ll have berries and cherries to tide you over. You probably would love my sisters. They’re an eclectic, funny bunch and our Hoegarden weekends each spring are a hoot. With 4 generations of females gathering now, I’m not sure if they would notice one extra so you should totally crash it – as long as you are up for late nights, mani/pedis, cocktail contests, shopping, board games, snacking your socks off and more desserts in one weekend than should be legal. Still up for it? As for family birthdays, all of my sisters were born on or very near holidays except me. Sister #1 – Labor Day. Sister #3 – Thanksgiving. Sister #4 – Halloween. Sister #5 – July 4th. Me? March 7th. Nothing closer than St. Patty’s Day to claim. Sounds to me like Mom would do just about anything to get out of cooking around the holidays. Hahaha… just kidding, Mom!
Ha! March 7 is National Crown Roast of Pork Day–so you’ll always have that. My boys were born on Bunker Hill Day (June 17,) National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day (July 15,) National Creme de Menthe Day (Sept. 15,) and National German American Day (Oct. 5.) We celebrate our birthdays whole-heartedly around here.
BTW–you really need to get on Twitter. The world needs more NanaBread.
I WAS BORN ON NATIONAL CROWN ROAST OF PORK DAY AND DIDN’T KNOW IT?!? How did this happen? I love your kids’ special birth dates, too. National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day? C’mon. How sweet is THAT? I laughed out loud as I read each of them. This was an awesome response. I feel special now. Very special. And I’m also in great company now. Creme de Menthe Day. Who knew?! You made my day, Kirsten.
For the record, I should NOT have read this shortly before heading out on my 9 mile bike ride….bad idea. Secondly, I am appalled that these were not a regular part of my summers!! Shame on you! I guess cupcakes and cookies and the likes were fine, but seriously, holding out on your only baby…it’s not right! We are so making these when you come up again!!
Sorry, honey. Your tastes, ever since you were little, always ran more to cupcakes covered in frosting, brownies or chocolate chip cookies. I’d be happy to make it up to you with a big bowl of raw peachy goodness next time we’re together. You’ll see what a wise woman your grandmother was.
Even though this would ruin the raw effect, if your peaches aren’t so sweet yet, maybe go with grilling them and letting them sweeten themselves?
Your version sounds great, Kat. I guess we could call it “Grilled Peach Pie” and give it a shot. Why not?
I was just telling someone about mom’s cold peach pie just a few days ago. This was my hands down FAVORITE summer pie. I haven’t made it in 10 years or more because I’m such a peach snob. Can’t help it. We had those amazing trees in the back yard and could go get a tree ripened on whenever they were ready. Oh god I miss those days. And the fresh blueberries we got every spring from our blueberry bushes. I can’t remember how many times mom blistered my butt for hiding behind the blueberries and eating all that were within my reach. Maybe that’s why my arms are freakishly long….
Yeah, I’m pretty picky about fruit, too. Must have been those enchanted years of our youth when Mom planted those huge gardens and we had our own fruit trees. Remember the Concord grape vines? We made the best grape jelly when those things put off fruit. I’m with you, though. Those blueberry bushes were by far my favorite. I never put it together that stealing blueberries while hiding beneath them might be responsible for longer arms, but at least you look great in yoga class. Am I right? Hahaha. I also remember Mom using branches from those apple and peach trees in her smoker. God help me, but I still think about those smoked turkeys she made each Thanksgiving – with the apple butter and crushed pineapple glaze. Have mercy, those were delicious birds. Just typing all this reminds me of our old back yard, the gardens, the trees, and many awesome summer nights of hide-and-seek. Good times.
Yummy, yummy, yummy!
The article was great and the photos were fantastic! I had lots of fun reading. Thank you :)