Happy Pi Day! Old fashioned apple pie to Key lime, Arizona's best pies are worth a drive

Corrections & Clarifications: Dawnie's Delightful Desserts chef Robert Barr's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this article.

We all scream for ice cream, but we cry happy tears for pie.

Nothing is as American as apple pie. Nothing symbolizes home like a pie baking in the oven. And nothing brings people together like pie. There are fancier desserts, trendier desserts, but pie is in a league of its own. It remains the perfect combination of sweetness and warmth, the most comforting of comfort foods.

And there’s good news. Even in this hectic, hurried world, some folks are still taking the time to make pie the old-fashioned way — working the dough, rolling out the crust, whipping egg white for meringue and so forth. It takes skill and patience. And the results are worth a drive.

Here’s where to find some of Arizona’s best homemade pies.

Cottonwood: Dawnie’s Delightful Desserts

At first bite, you'll realize this isn’t your mom’s apple pie. It’s too lush, too complex. Your mom probably didn’t use three types of apples — Fuji, Granny Smith and Gala. And even if she did, it's unlikely she took the time to fire roast the Fujis, giving them a caramelized glaze for a deeper flavor. But that’s how chef Robert Barr makes Dutch apple pie at Dawnie’s Delightful Desserts.

Since September, Dawnie’s has shared space with Tiny Gourmet in Old Town Cottonwood. Of the dozen pies in Barr’s repertoire, at least three are stocked each day. Slices are served with a generous dollop of Chantilly cream.

Besides traditional desserts, Barr creates outrageous hybrids — think cheesecake topped with pie. While banana cream pie cheesecake and blueberry pie cheesecake are popular, the baklava cheesecake remains a perennial favorite. The rest of the dessert case is filled with cakes, cupcakes, lemon bars, brownies, cookies and the beloved chocolate-covered bacon.

Details: 1010 N. Main St., Cottonwood. 928-216-2434.

Tucson: Back Dough

This pie hole is tucked away behind Beyond Bread (same owners) in a shopping plaza. You’ll find no slices here, just small individual fruit, cream and pot pies. Each one is 6 inches across. And who doesn’t love the idea of their own personal pie?

Back Dough is where the baking elves arrive in the predawn to do their work, making dozens of these little wheels of goodness that fill the display cases at the counter. You also won’t find a seating area. Just grab your pie and snag a table at Beyond Bread.

Coconut cream is a top seller, and it’s easy to see why as your taste buds are transported to a tropical island with every bite. The fresh strawberry pie bursts with plump juicy berries. And the chocolate peanut butter cream is like biting into an airy Reese’s Cup.

Details: 6260 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson. 520-629-4111, beyondbread.com.

Seligman: Westside Lilo’s Café

Clutter and clatter define Westside Lilo’s. Walls are plastered with photos, stuffed animals and Route 66 memorabilia. The place always seems packed with an intriguing mix of locals and travelers from across the globe.

Conversations bounce around the room in a variety of languages and accents, accompanied by the rattle of dishes and murmurs of delight. Lilo Russell, now 83, still rocks the kitchen baking her legendary, moist frosted carrot cake and an assortment of fruit and cream pies.

The cream pies are made using mascarpone cheese — the same cheese used in tiramisu — imbibing them with a defiant silkiness. Varieties include coconut chocolate, Butterfinger and Key lime. The banana split cream pie is a riotous medley of flavors. The crunch of nuts, the melt-in-the-mouth banana and chocolate cream mix perfectly with sweet berries and a zing of chocolate sprinkles.

Details: 22855 Route 66, Seligman. 928-422-5456, westsideliloscafe.com.

Black Canyon City: Rock Springs Café

In 1918 an enterprising Ben Warner erected a canvas-covered store near a desert waterhole north of Phoenix. More than a century later, Rock Springs Café has become Arizona’s most famous and prolific pie house. Over 100,000 pies are sold each year and shipped all over the country. Despite the quantity, each pie is still made by hand.

The café serves a full menu as well as pie. But if you only crave dessert, step into the adjacent Pie Box, the bakery with all the pie-making magic on display. Slices and whole pies are available. There are more than two dozen to choose from, including beauties like cherry crumb, Tennessee lemon and lattice-top apple.

The No. 1 seller remains the Jack Daniels pecan pie. It’s impossibly light and intensely flavorful with a lingering note of caramel.

Details: 35900 S. Old Black Canyon Highway, Black Canyon City. 623-374-5794, rockspringscafe.com.

Flagstaff: Miz Zip’s

This welcoming diner has fed Route 66 travelers since 1952. They’re known for made-from-scratch American-style comfort food. But save room for dessert because Miz Zip’s is the only restaurant in town to serve Pie Guy’s Pies.

Charles Lewis is the wizard of crusts known as Pie Guy. A longtime baker, Lewis was laid off during the pandemic. He started baking homemade pies to distribute to businesses and was soon too busy to return to work.

Lewis bakes up to 30 pies a day, which he distributes to Miz Zip’s and a handful of local convenience stores. The key is using a high shortening ratio in the dough, creating a tender, flaky crust. The most popular is Bisbeeberry, a blend of raspberry and blackberry. (Lewis used to sling pies at Dot’s Diner in Bisbee.)

After you’ve sampled a slice at Miz Zip’s, snag a whole pie to go on your drive back to the Valley from Kachina Village’s Pic-N-Run just off Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff. Look for the Pie Guy’s Pies banner.

Details: 2924 E. Route 66, Flagstaff. 928-526-0104, mizzips.com.

Tucson: Sydney’s Sweet Shoppe

No surprise if pies from this bakery remind you of ones you savored at grandma’s house.

That’s because owner Sydney Adams learned her patient baking skills and recipes directly from her grandmother. Tradition is an ingredient that can’t be measured, but you can certainly taste it. That legacy of made-from-scratch desserts resonates and pies from Sydney’s Sweet Shoppe grace Tucson dinner tables all through the holiday season.

The cases at the front of the small shop are filled with whole pies, halves and slices. Most popular are the Dutch apple, with its crunchy, buttery crumb topping, and Key lime that packs a refreshing tart punch. Sydney’s also sells 5-inch mini pies and the mix-and-match four packs of minis will liven up any event. Order ahead of time.

There is no seating in the shop, but a bench just outside the door makes a handy pie perch.

Details: 8969 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson. 520-777-7133, sydneyssweetshoppe.com.

Williams: Pine Country Restaurant

In downtown Williams, Pine Country seems to have it all. It’s a bustling restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. It contains a large and surprising gift shop. And at the center of it all is the pie case filled with artistic, colorful creations ready to be carved into towering slices. If you’ve ever dreamed of pie as a meal by itself, you walked into the right place.

At Pine Country they make over 50 kinds of pie, even venturing into uncharted pie territory. Try the cherry-apple-peach or chocolate cream cheese or strawberry peanut butter cream pie. If you can imagine a pie combination, you’ll likely find it on the roster here. Tuck in and afterward, you’ll be ready to face the Grand Canyon.

Details: 107 N. Grand Canyon Blvd., Williams. 928-635-9718, pinecountryrestaurant.com.

Prescott: Berry’s Pie Pantry & Restaurant

Berry’s Pie Pantry feels like a throwback to simpler times. It’s a homey little place that serves breakfast and lunch, and pie with both. The cozy country-style dining room, friendly staff and reasonable prices sets a comfortable mood as soon as you settle in. They bake an assortment of pies each day. Most have a short life span since nearly every customer orders a piece or two.

The lemon meringue pie is a classic with its bright, smooth lemony flavor crowned by a fluffy mountain of meringue. The rhubarb is an exquisite blend of sweet and tart cradled by a thin, light and flaky crust. Try a slice of your favorite and then take a whole pie to go. If any are left.

Details: 230 N. Virginia St., Prescott. 928-778-0511.

Closer to home: Your guide to the best pie bakeries in metro Phoenix

Find the reporter at www.rogernaylor.com. Or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RogerNaylorinAZ or Twitter @AZRogerNaylor.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best pie in Arizona: Supreme slices at bakeries in Flagstaff, Tucson