Blackberry Streusel Pie
This beautiful and delicious blackberry streusel pie is loaded with juicy berries and topped with a buttery streusel topping. It is so good!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I’m working on planning out my menu for the big day! My family has a tradition of spending a week at a little cottage on the coast for Thanksgiving, and I’m so excited for a full week of lounging, watching movies, crocheting, strolling on the beach, and (mostly) doing nothing. My plan is to cook our full Thanksgiving meal at home, freeze it, and bring it with us. Which I know sounds like a lot of effort, but it worked really well last year and here’s hoping I can pull it off twice in a row. I have several pies in the freezer that I made earlier in the summer, and now the only problem is deciding which one (or two? or three?) to bring with us. This delicious blackberry streusel pie just might be the winner, though!
I made four of these beauties when I had an abundance of freshly-picked blackberries way back in July, and we enjoyed one right away, then put the rest in the freezer for later. The combination of flaky crust, juicy and sweet berries, and buttery streusel is pretty much unbeatable. My husband Geoff, who generally prefers chocolate desserts to fruity desserts, said this is one of the best pies he’s ever eaten. That’s high praise!
I don’t know why it has never occurred to me before to use streusel instead of a top crust for my pie, but it was definitely a good move! I mean, is there any dessert that isn’t made better with a little streusel on top? As much as I love a good flaky pie crust, I think the combination of textures and flavors with the streusel is fantastic. It’s also super easy to make!
This blackberry pie uses a similar method to my triple berry pie, and I really think that’s the way to go from here on out. Pre-cooking the filling means that you can ensure that the filling sets nicely and the pie slices a lot more cleanly (assuming you are patient enough to wait for it to cool completely before slicing, which I am often not. 🙂
Since we’re all fans of warm pie topping with cold vanilla ice cream, I just warm up the pie slices individually for about 30 seconds in the microwave before we eat it. Easy peasy! You can still get all of the deliciousness of warm pie, but have clean slices that are easy to serve. This blackberry streusel pie is a favorite at our house, and I hope you’ll give it a try!
Blackberry Streusel Pie
Print Recipe
Ingredients
for the filling:
- 6 cups fresh blackberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/3 cup corn starch
for the pie crust:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1/4 cup buttermilk or milk plus a splash of vinegar
for the streusel:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. To make the filling, add the berries, sugar, and lemon juice to a large saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Stir in the corn starch and cook until thickened. Let cool to room temperature before assembling the pie.
- While the filling is cooling, make the pie crust. In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour and salt. Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture, and cut in using a pastry blender or the paddle attachment, until the pieces of butter are no larger than pea sized. Add the buttermilk, and mix until the dough just starts to come together. Turn out onto a floured surface and gently work into a ball, handling as little as possible. Shape the dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least twenty minutes, or until ready to use.
- To make the streusel, whisk the flour, sugar, and brown sugar together with a fork in a small bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter and whisk until the butter is blended in and the mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- To assemble the pie, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to fit your pie pan. Gently press the dough into the pie pan and roll or pinch the edges to form the crust. Pour the filling into the pie crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the streusel over the top in an even layer. Bake 55-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown, the streusel is browned, and the filling is bubbling and thick. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
