About Man-Made Pies
Hi, I'm Michael, a full-time (half-the-time) single dad in Towson, Maryland, raising two teenage boys who seem fully capable of eating an entire pie by themselves. I'm also the pie enthusiast behind Man-Made Pies.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, I set out to teach myself how to make the perfect pecan pie. As a Southerner from Stone Mountain, Georgia, pecans (and peaches) have always been close to my heart. I experimented with different syrups, sugars, egg ratios, pecan sizes, crusts, and add-ins like bourbon (yes) and chocolate (not for me). I built spreadsheets to track every variable, and friends, neighbors, and coworkers became willing test subjects until I finally landed on a recipe I was proud of.
Turns out, I wasn't the only one who thought so.
That pecan pie earned 3rd Place at the 2023 Maryland State Fair and 1st Place in 2024. Since then, other recipes have earned ribbons too, but the awards aren't what keep me baking. The best part has always been watching someone take that first bite and immediately ask for the recipe.
Why I Started Man-Made Pies
There are thousands of pie recipes on the internet.
Some are outstanding. Plenty aren't.
After years of baking, testing, and tweaking recipes, I found myself bouncing between dozens of websites trying to remember which pie crust rolled the easiest, which brownie actually delivered on the photos, or whether I'd already improved a recipe the last time I made it.
I wanted one place where I could keep the recipes I trusted.
That's how Man-Made Pies was born.
This isn't a recipe site chasing hundreds of posts or every viral dessert that pops up online. It's my personal collection of recipes I've tested, refined, and would happily bake again for my family, friends, neighbors, or a baking competition.
If a recipe makes it onto this website, it's because I believe it's worth making.
Some recipes earned blue ribbons. Others became holiday traditions. A few took more test batches than I'd like to admit before I was finally satisfied. Every recipe here has earned its place.
Why My Recipes Are Different
I learned from some incredibly talented bakers and recipe developers, but over time I stopped trying to recreate their recipes and started making them my own.
You'll find gram measurements because they're more accurate. You'll find practical tips because I've already made the mistakes. I'll recommend better ingredients when they truly make a difference, and I'll also tell you when the grocery store version works just as well.
I'm not interested in publishing five versions of the same pie just to fill a website.
I'd rather publish one recipe I trust.
As the recipe collection grows, so does the library of homemade pie crusts, brownies, fruit pies, cream pies, chocolate pies, cookie crusts, and baking techniques. My goal isn't to build the biggest recipe website on the internet.
It's to build one I'd use myself.
Built for Real Kitchens
Most baking blogs are built around beautiful kitchens, endless free time, and professionally produced videos.
That's not my life.
I bake in a Towson row house kitchen while juggling a full-time career, raising two hungry teenagers, and trying to keep enough butter in the refrigerator for whatever recipe I'm testing next.
The recipes here are written for people with real jobs, real kitchens, and real schedules. They're detailed enough for beginners, dependable enough for experienced bakers, and tested until I know they'll work before I ask you to spend your time and money making them.
No fluff.
Just recipes that work.
Why "Man-Made?"
Because I'm a man who loves to bake pie.
It's really that simple.
When I started baking, I noticed most recipe websites weren't written for someone like me. They were full of long stories, picture-perfect kitchens, and recipes that sometimes felt harder than they needed to be. I wanted straightforward instructions, practical techniques, and recipes I could trust.
So I built the kind of baking website I wanted to use.
The name Man-Made Pies isn't about keeping anyone out. It's about bringing my own perspective into the kitchen. I enjoy building things, improving things, and figuring out why one technique works better than another. Baking pie scratches that same itch.
Just like dialing in a smoker, tuning a bike, rebuilding a deck, or perfecting a backyard barbecue, baking is part craft, part problem-solving, and part practice. Every pie teaches you something.
That philosophy shapes every recipe on this site.
You'll find classic pies that deserve to be preserved alongside bold twists that make them uniquely my own. Sometimes that's bourbon. Sometimes it's browned butter. Sometimes it's bacon, cheddar, espresso, or a better pie crust. But every recipe starts with the same goal: make something worth baking again.
Whether you're here because you're a guy who's never baked a pie before, someone who's been baking for decades, or you're simply looking for a recipe you can trust, I'm glad you found your way here.
Welcome to Man-Made Pies.
Thanks for Stopping By
Whether you're baking your very first pie, looking for a dependable pie crust, searching for the perfect brownie, or hoping to impress friends at your next holiday dinner or backyard cookout, I hope you find a recipe here that becomes one of your favorites.
The blue ribbons are nice.
But the real reward has always been bringing people together around the table.
I'm glad you're here.
– Michael
Contact Us
Reach out to me for baking tips, inquiries, or to share your pie-making adventures!
Award-winning pie recipes
Homemade Pie Crusts, Brownies, and Bold Desserts Built From Scratch.
A curated collection of recipes I actually make, trust, and come back to.
Built one pie at a time in Baltimore.
Good pies start with good crust. Everything else is just filling.
Michael@manmadepies.com
© 2025. All rights reserved.