Presenting CBC Life's 12 Pies of Christmas!

Sure, you can celebrate the holidays with fruitcake and figgy pudding but here at CBC Life, well, we're in a more 'pie-ous' state of mind. So may we present, The 12 Pies of Christmas. We reached out to our go-to pastry pro, Arlene Lott, to ask her to turn the 12 Days of Christmas ditty into dreamy pies, and as usual, she totally surpassed our expectations.

The pie toppers are clearly the main event but the filling is what brings them back for seconds, right?

Choose any of Arlene's mixtures, or don't choose and make them all:

Cranberry Apple Candied Ginger

Rum Raisin and Cider Pear

Classic Tourtire

Get Arlene's artful stencils here, and see below for her notes and links to some of the supplies she used. And oh yes, scroll down to admire each of the 12 pies! Use the slider in the middle to sweep from pre-baked to baked and back again!

Decoration notes from Arlene Lott:

Some extra-special items were used to make these pies, that you might usually associate with cake decorating - edible paint for one. After the pies have baked and cooled, go over your selected areas with a little shimmering edible paint to give your pies that extra glow. The edible paints I've used for the "afters" are made by Rainbow Dust. I used the silver, black, and dark gold. You can find them at McCall's, Flour Confections, or Amazon.

The dimensional decorations for the borders on 5 Gold rings and 10 Lords Leaping and the twisted borders on some of the others are made using silicone molds traditionally used for fondant or gumpaste. In these cases, I pressed pastry into the molds instead. Affix the molded pastry to the tops of your pies using some cream, or an egg wash, and be sure to chill them for at least a half hour. Then coat with cream or egg wash before baking.

Links to purchase the edible paint and molds, or similar:

Ready-to-use Metallic Dark Gold 100% Edible Food Paint

Mujiang Fritters Twist Rope Silicone Lace Sugarcraft Fondant Cake Decorating Molds

Baroque Style Curlicues Scroll Lace Fondant Silicone Molds

3.5" Baroque Filigree Vintage Scroll Wedding Mould Cake Fondant Gum Paste Molds

CBC Life's 12 Pies of Christmas

Use the slider in the middle to sweep from pre-baked to baked and back again!

A partridge in a pear tree

Two turtle doves

Three French hens

Four calling birds

Five golden rings

Six geese a-laying

Seven swans a-swimming

Eight maids a-milking

Nine ladies dancing

Ten lords a-leaping

Eleven pipers piping

Twelve drummers drumming