What would summer be without a fresh berry pie? And my Fresh Blackberry Pie will make you teary-eyed as you reminisce your childhood of simpler, happier times! Chockfull of huge, juicy berries, sweetened perfectly with a hint of spice and vanilla, it’s the perfect vessel for a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream on a hot summer day!
Throw away all other blackberry pie recipes. Yep. Because I’m giving mine that takes you straight back to your childhood and makes THE perfect summer berry pie!!
And guess what?!
It’s easy, too!! So, even if you think you can’t make a great berry pie, this one is sure to help teach you how!
The key to a great pie, is of course, great berries. Pick fruit that is fresh without any rotten ones or mold in the container. So, check them carefully before buying them. Yucky ones can be hiding in the middle!
And always, always, always rinse them first!
We bought 4 – 12 ounce containers of the biggest, most beautiful blackberries I had seen in a long time!
So I saved 1 container aside, and placed the other 3 containers into a large saucepan. Because for my recipe, you’re going to cook part, then fold in the rest. This way you get a nice thick filling that still has whole berries intact!
And this is the filling after adding the sugar, cooking them down a little with cornstarch and water to thicken….
…and then the last of the berries folded in along with a little butter, vanilla and cinnamon!
I soooooo wish that you could smell this!!!
But before you can pour this insanely fantastic filling into your pie shell, you MUST let it cool down completely to room temperature first, or even chill it if you need to finish making the pie fresh for company the next day.
Because adding hot filling to an unbaked pie shell will not work and will immediately start to boil over before the crust has time to brown.
Once cooled down, most of the filling was poured into the pie pastry. Not all was going to fit, so I stopped just short, then used a slotted spoon to add a few more of the whole berries, and saved the rest of the filling to be ladled over ice cream later!
This was looking to be one of THE BEST blackberry pies I have ever made!
*And just a note, don’t worry that everything cooks and bakes down too much. They don’t. They break down somewhat, but it doesn’t turn into “preserves” if you’re a little worried.
Next, just top with more pie pastry any way you want. If you go with a solid top, make sure that you poke a few slits in the top with a sharp knife so that the steam from the pie can vent and it won’t explode in your oven!
I went with a lattice top with this one, then spritzed the top with a little water, just flicking tiny droplets from my fingertips, then sprinkled the whole top nicely with a little sugar.
Then, into the oven it goes! I did mine at 400 degrees for about 40 -45 minutes. I forgot to set the timer right away, but it’s easy to know when its done.
Take it out when the crust has browned and is crispy when tapped, and the pie filling is just starting to bubble.
It’s always a good idea to place a sheet of foil on the rack below just in case your berries are extra juicy and your pie wants to try to run over a little.
Burnt sugar is a horrible thing to smell and clean!! So best to save your oven from a mess, and yourself from scrubbing! Not to mention a kitchen full of stinky smoke!
Last is the hardest part of all. You have to wait for the pie to cool down before slicing! Otherwise you’ll end up with a hot mess, and not the good kind of “hot mess”, the bad burn you and ruin your pie kind of hot mess.
So, be patient!
Once your pie has finally cooled, pat yourself on the back. Patience is a virtue. And to wait for a pie to cool down takes a lot of patience!!
Then, once sliced, you can add a little warmth to it in the microwave if you want…
….and serve it as is, or with a scoop of ice cream, or even a little whipped cream if that’s your thing!
Make sure you’re sitting down when you take your first bite, though. Because, fair warning, swooning may occur.
Seriously, this Fresh Blackberry Pie is really that good! Lucious bites of sweet berries in a nicely thickened sauce that doesn’t run all over you plate when you cut into it! Summer berry pie perfection!
Hope you all make one soon! And enjoy your summer!
Fresh Blackberry Pie
Ingredients
- 4 (12 oz.) cont. fresh blackberries, reserve one cont.
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup each: cornstarch and COLD water
- 3 Tbl. Minerva Dairy Butter with Sea Salt, sliced
- 1/8 tsp. each: salt and cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- the reserved cont. of blackberries
- enough pie pastry for a double-crust 9" deep-dish pie
- sugar to garnish top
Instructions
Rinse, air dry, and pick through berries removing any bad ones. Place 3/4 of the berries into a large, deep saucepan, add sugar and fold. Heat over medium-high heat, and fold berries, scraping bottom and sides of pan until sugar has dissolved and there is juice. Add cornstarch slurry and cook and stir (gently) over medium heat until sauce is thickened and clear. Remove from heat and gently fold in rest of ingredients until butter has melted. Set aside until completely cooled down. Chill if not making pie right away. (*Can refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.)
Preheat oven fully to 400º F. Spoon filling into pie pastry-lined 9-inch deep dish pie plate. *Any extra filling can be served over ice cream later. Top with second pie crust, seal and flute edges, and poke top with a knife several times to vent. Or you can make a lattice top or top of your own choice.
Bake in preheated oven for about 35 - 45 minutes, or until crust is done and browned, and filling is just starting to bubble. (It's always a good idea to place a sheet of foil under neath on rack below to catch any drips that may occur.) ALL ovens bake differently, so check pie for doneness after 35 minutes, then bake as long as needed.
Let cool completely before slicing. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Debra Baldwin
Sunday 14th of July 2019
Pie and cobbler are my favorites for blackberries. I must confess that I make more cobblers than pie, so will try your pie recipe out next. We go to Whitebird, ID to pick wild blackberries. They are the largest and sweetest I have ever tasted. You do not even have to add very much sugar to a recipe.