5 Perfect Pies To Bring To Your Next Party

If crushed graham crackers can make a delicious pie crust, then why can't saltines? That's the thinking behind this unusual pie from Heather Baird's new book, Sea Salt Sweet. You combine the ho-hum crackers with butter and sugar for an unexpected flavor that's terrific with a lemon filling. Add a sprinkling of fleur de sel before serving, for one more salty hit.

Get the recipe: Lemon Pie with Soda-Cracker Crust

Banana pudding and banana cream pie are both classic comfort foods, but we had no idea how well they went together until we tried this twist from Magpie: Sweets and Savories from Philadelphia's Favorite Pie Boutique by Holly Ricciardi. The recipe has you spread banana-pudding filling into the pie shell; top it with a layer of Nilla Wafers and banana slices, then cover them with more pudding, so you get a perfect ratio of creamy to crunchy.

Get the recipe: Banana-Nilla Pudding Pie

Making a chocolate-bottom pie is as easy as pouring some hot custard onto chopped, semisweet chocolate, whisking to melt the mixture together and spreading it along the bottom of a pie shell. The next and last layer is a coffee mousse; then, finally, you top this rich and flavorful dessert from Magpie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Get the recipe: Cafe Mocha Pie

Coconut milk is the secret to making a pie with full, lush coconut flavor, which Ricciardi demonstrates in this intriguing recipe. The other ingredient that brings the pie to another level: Jamaican rum. The Caribbean spirit plays up the coconut's tropical taste, and a smattering of toasted coconut chips on top adds a lovely finishing touch.

Get the recipe: Coconut Rum Pie

Another version of the crushed-up, salty crust comes from Duff Goldman and Sara Gonzales' new book, Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home. The wonder ingredients here are the finely ground crumbs from both long, thick pretzel rods and peanut-butter-filled pretzels. Inside this flavor-bomb of a crust, you spread melted chocolate, then pastry cream and bananas; then, finally, whipped cream.

Get the recipe: Banana Cream Pie with a Pretzel Crust