Skip the doughnut, have a pie

A local pie shop recently put a new spin on a traditional Fat Tuesday delicacy.
For the past few weeks, Achatz Handmade Pie Company in downtown Oxford was selling Paczki pies.
‘So far, it’s been a big hit,? said store manager Andrea Malone, noting the Oxford location sold about 35 pies.
Weighing in at 2.5 pounds, the Paczki pie consists of a crispy, sugar-glazed pastry shell filled with homemade vanilla cream and topped with Achatz? signature Michigan four-berry pie fruit (cherries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) and whipped cream around the edges.
‘It’s our version of the fattening doughnut, but it’s not deep-fried,? said Malone, who admitted she’s ‘not wild about paczkis,? but she likes this pie. ‘Our vanilla cream is outstanding.?
Malone said one couple traveled all the way from Bay City to purchase a Paczki pie and ended up buying two plus three other varieties.