What possesses a mostly sane woman to wade into a flesh-tearing patch of blackberry brambles? The promise of hot, crisp blackberry pie with peanut butter crust and crumble. Add vanilla ice cream and you have a holy experience.
And I must say thank you to Brian and Pam Ellis, my former next door neighbors, who always let me know when the berries in their yard are ripe for picking. Good neighbors, are a treasure.
Fresh blackberries, (or Marionberries – I think) so worth it!
I’ve written about pie before. This was one of the pies included in my Pies and Virginity blog. But, in retrospect, I think blackberry pie with peanut butter crust and crumble really deserves its own blog post because it’s a delicious pie, that’s destroyed many a diet. It was pioneered by my mother, and proudly carried on by me.
I may not remember the name of the actress in the movie I saw 20 minutes ago, but I never forget a life-altering food moment. One of them was the time my mom decided to put peanut butter in a crust she was making for a blueberry pie. I tasted it and knew my mom was a food genius, it was that good.
Then, I decided that if a peanut butter, double crust pie was that good, how great would a peanut butter crumble be, especially one with crunchy peanut butter? And if blueberries were good, wouldn’t blackberries be great? That question got answered a few years ago when I made it for a family get together. Both my brothers, who don’t throw food compliments around liberally, said, “I think this might be the best pie you’ve ever made.”
You can also just make this a crisp, by eliminating the pie crust bottom. It’s also killer good, faster, and a lot less work.
In my family we are all ho’s for blackberry pie, and peanut butter puts blackberry pie in a whole new category of yum. To make the crust, I just Mom’s Perfect Pie Crust, roll it out halfway, put a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter in the middle, fold it over, roll it, and add another tablespoon of peanut butter and fold it over again. Then roll it out like a regular crust, making sure to flour the surface well so it doesn’t stick. It leaves the crust looking swirled with peanut butter.
*Also, make the crust first, then the crumble so it’s easier to assemble quickly. You don’t want to put the berries in the crust too long before you bake it, or it will get soggy. And bake it closer to the bottom of the oven so the bottom crust gets crisp.
Mary Tunno’s Pie Crust
AuthorFran TunnoMix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces and process until the flour looks like small pebbles.
Mix in the the liquid (cold milk or cold whipping cream and water)with a spatula. Next divide the dough into four parts. Place each part on floured plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc and freeze it for about an hour.
Roll out the dough, lay it in the pie pan and fill it with your favorite filling. Place the top crust on and poke holes in it with a fork. Brush it lightly with whipping cream or an egg white. Place the pie crust shield on. Bake pie for 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350.
To make peanut butter crust, roll out pie crust to about half the size you want. Then take 1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter and drop it on the crust. Fold the crust over roll it out a bit and drop the next tablespoon of peanut butter on it. Fold it again and continue rolling it out. The peanut butter should look swirled in the crust.
Ingredients
Directions
Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces and process until the flour looks like small pebbles.
Mix in the the liquid (cold milk or cold whipping cream and water)with a spatula. Next divide the dough into four parts. Place each part on floured plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc and freeze it for about an hour.
Roll out the dough, lay it in the pie pan and fill it with your favorite filling. Place the top crust on and poke holes in it with a fork. Brush it lightly with whipping cream or an egg white. Place the pie crust shield on. Bake pie for 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350.
To make peanut butter crust, roll out pie crust to about half the size you want. Then take 1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter and drop it on the crust. Fold the crust over roll it out a bit and drop the next tablespoon of peanut butter on it. Fold it again and continue rolling it out. The peanut butter should look swirled in the crust.
Blackberry Pie with Peanut Butter Crumble
AuthorFran TunnoOnce you've rolled out the peanut butter crust and placed it in the pie pan, let it sit.
Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar and salt thoroughly. Then mix in the crunchy peanut butter and the butter. It should be crumbly. Set it aside.
Gently place the berries in a strainer and rinse them. Let them dry as much as possible. Place them in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and flour, mix gently but thoroughly, taking care to not smash the berries.
Gently pour the berries with sugar and flour into the crust. Fold over the edges and crimp them.
The crumble topping is enough for two large pies, so only use half the topping on a deep dish pie. (You can store the rest in the freezer, it keeps for several months.)
Take half the crumble and gently sprinkle it over the top of the berries making sure to only cover the berries. You don't want to smother them in topping.
Bake the pie at 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and cover the crust with a pie crust shield. You should also place a sheet of foil lightly over the crumble topping so it doesn't brown too much. Bake the pie another 45 minutes, or until it's bubbling over. If it's a deep dish pie, you might need an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Directions
Once you've rolled out the peanut butter crust and placed it in the pie pan, let it sit.
Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar and salt thoroughly. Then mix in the crunchy peanut butter and the butter. It should be crumbly. Set it aside.
Gently place the berries in a strainer and rinse them. Let them dry as much as possible. Place them in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and flour, mix gently but thoroughly, taking care to not smash the berries.
Gently pour the berries with sugar and flour into the crust. Fold over the edges and crimp them.
The crumble topping is enough for two large pies, so only use half the topping on a deep dish pie. (You can store the rest in the freezer, it keeps for several months.)
Take half the crumble and gently sprinkle it over the top of the berries making sure to only cover the berries. You don't want to smother them in topping.
Bake the pie at 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and cover the crust with a pie crust shield. You should also place a sheet of foil lightly over the crumble topping so it doesn't brown too much. Bake the pie another 45 minutes, or until it's bubbling over. If it's a deep dish pie, you might need an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
9 Comments
Katarina
June 29, 2018 at 11:55 amNo Thanks. Too many Calories & Carbs.
Fran Tunno
June 29, 2018 at 11:39 pmI hear ya. I’ll work on a low calorie substitute.
Chas Madonio
June 29, 2018 at 11:14 amI meant I may have to quit reading your blog.
Fran Tunno
June 29, 2018 at 11:39 pmI totally understand. Perhaps I should change my name to Satan. I honestly don’t make this often, but it’s such a great recipe, I had to put it out there. Moderation is the key. I will try to find something more healthy to do with my blackberries – so you can enjoy it too!
Chas Madonio
June 29, 2018 at 11:13 amI may have to reading your blog. You are constantly tempting me to eat amazing sounding desserts that my doctor has forbidden me to eat, and it gets harder and harder for me to resist. It’s like the song of the siren calling.
Nicol
June 29, 2018 at 10:07 amYou and your pies are diet busters!!! Looks delicious as always, Fran!
Fran Tunno
June 29, 2018 at 11:36 pmThanks Nicol. I know, it is a diet buster, but everything in moderation. If you’re gonna go bust, this is the way to go!
Carolyn
June 29, 2018 at 9:58 amOh My God!!!!
You have to taste this pie. It is life altering!
Fran Tunno
June 29, 2018 at 11:35 pmThanks Car for the affirmation!