Easy Blackberry Pie Recipe with Spiced Sour Cream Custard (and No-Roll Pie Crust!)
This super easy blackberry pie is a recipe for anyone who wants to try their hand at pie-making. With a no-roll crust and simple filling, this pie comes together with less actual work than most pie recipes. You can even use frozen berries, if you want to make it in the off-season. Frozen berries are often higher in antioxidants that the fresh ones you buy in the produce section, because they're left to ripen on the vine longer than berries picked for fresh sales. The more you know...
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20minutes
Cook Time 1hour
Total Time 1hour20minutes
Servings 8servings
Calories 520kcal
Author Stephanie Stiavetti
Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2cupsall-purpose flour
3/4teaspoonsalt
1/8teaspoonbaking powder
1tablespoonsugar
1tablespoonbrown sugar
1/4cupfrozen butter
1tablespoonsour cream
4tablespoonsvegetable oil
2tablespoonscold milk
2cupsof dried beans or pie weights
Crumble:
1/2cup (1 stick)butterrefrigerated
1/2cup plus 2 tablespoonsflour
1/2cuppowdered sugar
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspooncinnamon
Pie filling:
4cupswhole fresh blackberries
5tablespoonsbrandydivided
1/2cupsugardivided
2tablespoonlemon zestdivided, from one large lemon or two smaller lemons
2tablespoonscornstarch
1/2cupsour creamdivided
1/2teaspooncinnamon
1/2teaspoonfreshly grated ginger
1/4teaspoonsalt
Additional sour cream for toppingabout 2 cups
Instructions
Crust:
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Use the smallest-holed side of a cheese grater to grate the frozen butter onto a plate. Place the butter in the freezer for 5 minutes. Use a fork or pastry blender to cut the frozen butter and sour cream into the flour mixture, making sure to incorporate everything until it’s the size of small peas. Parts of the dough may have a sandy texture, which is fine.
Whisk together the vegetables oil and milk in a small bowl. Pour into the flour mixture and use a fork to completely incorporate the wet and dry ingredients. The finished texture should be relatively loose and gravely.
Pour the crust mix into a dry 9-inch pie plate. Use your fingers to press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan, making sure to cover all surfaces, including the rim. Cover the pie crust with tin foil, pushing the foil down so that it comes in contact with the bottom and sides of the crust. Place the pie crust in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). After 20 minutes, remove the pie crust from the freezer and fill the foil-covered crust with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove beans and foil from crust and bake another 5 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Do not turn off oven.
Crumble:
Remove butter from refrigerator and cut into small chunks. Lay butter chunks in a single layer on a plate and place back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Combine flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add chilled butter and use a fork or pastry blender to to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. The crumble should cling together like small stones. Place crumble in refrigerator until ready to use.
Pie filling:
In a small bowl, combine blackberries, 2 tablespoons brandy, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and cornstarch. Toss together gently. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Occasionally stir the whole lot to ensure even soaking.
While the berries are soaking, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons brandy, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon zest, sour cream, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
Spread the spiced sour cream custard into the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust, creating an even layer. Remove the crumble from the refrigerator, use your fingers to break it into small chunks, and spread half of the crumble in a layer on top of the sour cream. Lay the soaked blackberries and their brandy syrup in an even layer on top of the crumble layer, making sure to use all of the berries and syrup. (They’ll all fit if you nudge them around, I promise!) Sprinkle the top of the pie evenly with the remaining crumble and dot with six teaspoon-sized dollops of sour cream.
Cover just the edges of the crust with tin foil to prevent them from burning. Bake the pie in a 350°F (176°C) oven for 50 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown. Once the pie is done, remove the foil from the edges and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. Serve each slice topped with a generous dollop of sour cream.
Notes
If using frozen blackberries, make sure to defrost them first. You can also use raspberries, blueberries, or mixed berries, if you like.Nutritional analysis does not include sour cream for serving.