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
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.
Add the cold milk, or cold whipping cream and water and process until it just comes together. Next dump the dough onto the counter. Combine it and roll it into a long flat rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half and place one half on top of the other. Roll it out again and repeat the process. Cut the dough into three or four parts, wrap them with plastic wrap, flatten them into discs, chill them, then roll them into pie crust or freeze them for later.
Roll out the dough, lay it in the pie pan and fill it with your favorite filling. Place six to 8 very small pieces of butter over the top of the filling. Place the top crust on and poke holes in it with a fork. Or cut it in strips and criss cross it on the top of the pie. Brush it lightly with whipping cream. Place the pie crust shield on. Bake pie for 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350. Bake until golden brown.
Ingredients
Blackberry Pie with Peanut Butter Crumble
Before you start, just note that this recipe is enough to make four pie crusts. The crumble topping is enough for two pies. The berries are enough to make one berry pie. In a food processor thoroughly combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cold butter and process until it forms pea-sized crumbs. Then add the milk and process until it begins to clump together. Remove it from the food processor and form it into hamburger sized patties.
On a floured surface roll out each patty to about six inches, cut it in half and in half again and place the pieces on top of each other, pressing the dough together into a disc. You can use one disc for the pie and freeze the rest. Just wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in glass or plastic containers in the freezer for later use.
You can make this pie with a plain crust or a peanut butter crust. If you want peanut butter, take one disc, roll it out to about 6 inches. Place the teaspoon of smooth peanut butter on it and spread it around. Fold the disc over and flatten it, then fold it again and roll it out. You should see peanut butter swirls in it. Place it in a pie pan and set it aside.
Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar and salt thoroughly. Then mix in the melted butter the peanut butter. It should form small crumbles. Add the chopped peanuts and 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, mixing gently but thoroughly, taking care to not smash the berries.
Gently pour the berries with sugar and flour into the prepared crust. Fold over the edges and crimp them.
The crumble topping is enough for two large pies, so only use half the topping per 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 just cover the berries. You don't want to smother them in topping.
Cover the crust with a pie crust shield. Bake the pie at 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350. 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
