The Girl and I went blackberry picking this morning and came home with baskets full of warm, juicy berries. I couldn’t decide if I should make blackberry ice cream or a blackberry pie, so I decided to ask everyone on facebook and go from there.
Clearly, people would much rather eat a blackberry pie than a scoop of blackberry ice cream.
Interesting!
So {obviously} I made a pie.
And snapped a few pictures.
So you could drool over it.
Because I’m cruel like that.
I don’t know about you, but I like a nice thick crust when I’m eating a berry pie. I want to be able to soak up the berry juice with left over bits of golden, flaky goodness. And you need a thick crust to do that.
I like to make my crusts with Crisco shortening. I’d like to think my people {the Pilgrims} would have used it had they had it readily available to them in Colonial America.
In my book, Crisco is freakin’ awesome. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Here’s the recipe –
Recipe – How to Make a Crust for a Blackberry Pie
Ingredients
6 cups blackberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all- purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped into bits
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup vegetable shorting
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees
- Combine pie crust ingredients together, divide in half, roll into a ball, use the palm of your hand to flatten crust to about 1 inch.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Roll out 1 crust and line a pie plate with it.
- Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat.
- Pour filling into crust lined pie plate and add second {flattened} crust.
- Crimp edges of pie crust together and brush with egg wash.
- Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until juices are bubbling.
- Cool. Serve with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.
Looking for a few more delicious pie recipes? Check out the book Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie by Ken Haedrich. Basically, the book is awesome. Enough said.
Chelsea says
I have to disagree on the awesomeness of crisco. Why not just use butter instead of all those hydrogenated oils and diglycerides? I use almost the same recipe (cold water, flour, salt) except I use organic butter. Turns out great! -Chelsea M.
Tanya says
Mavis, have you seen the movie “The Help” There is a character in that movie who also sings the praises of Crisco, made me smile 🙂
p.s. I am a Crisco user too, best for pie crusts
Ashley says
That’s not the same one who makes that ‘special pie’, is it? Because if Mavis ever writes up a recipe for that, I may stop visiting her blog! haha!
Helen in Meridian says
I’ll bet Mavis’ chocolate pie doesn’t taste like s—.
Jenna Consolo says
Oh, except that Crisco is pretty much poison to the body! I’d say butter all the way! But I’m sure you’ll see a camp divided on this topic. And I love you and your blog anyway! 🙂
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I swear by Crisco for pie crust. My family takes pie very seriously. We think of pie the way the rest of the world thinks of cupcakes. So we had a Crisco vs butter taste test a few years ago. Hands down…Crisco won!
KK
Deborah Burket says
Mavis,
Crisco is so BAD!!! Please stop using it and try butter. Butter makes the best crust and I can see pilgrims using butter!
D Burket
Ashley says
I think Crisco is great….unless you use it to make buttercream frosting for your 1 yr old’s birthday cake. BIG mistake. Slippery, waterproof mess, lol. Threw the frosting covered kid in the tub and she repelled water!
Your pie looks soooooo yummy! I want to start baking pies just so I have an excuse to buy that beautiful pie dish! I’m jealous everytime I see it.
maggiewann says
Crisco, yes! My mother and grandmother both used it, it’s the only way to make a pie crust–so tender and yummy. They both lived well into their 90’s. We don’t have pie everyday, dear people, it’s a treat.