Once upon a time, two of my favorite treats- Apple Crumble and Blackberry Pie- fell in love. They decided to get married, join their lives together and make one magical summer dessert. Actually, what really happened was this: I saw apples and blackberries growing together in our orchard and inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks. Without further ado, I give you my baking masterpiece, one of the most fantastic desserts…Apple Blackberry Crumble Pie.
And here’s where I confess to you that once upon a time, I wasn’t the biggest fan of pie. If you know me in real life, you may realize what a dangerous confession that is. When you marry into a family that owned a pie company, and it comes to light that you don’t really even like it…well, you do the math. It wasn’t my best look. So, I decided to try and change my own mind.
The journey to liking the all-American dessert we so lovingly call “pie,” began with learning to make it from scratch. Rubbing butter into flour with my fingers. Learning not to over mix or over knead the dough. Mastering the art of rolling out the perfect disks so they take up your whole pie plate, with just a bit left over for crimping. Creating the perfect crimp and maybe even decorating the crust with cut-outs. But the best part, the very best part was when I discovered that I didn’t have to put a pie crust on top.
That’s right. All it took for me to fall in love with pie was taking one of the crusts out of the equation. So what do you cover your filling with you ask? Crumble my friends, crumble.
What’s the difference between a crumble and a crisp?
I’ll admit I had to dig a little for the answer to this one, because it’s not a real obvious answer. Most people use the two terms interchangeably. And why not? Both fantastic desserts. But the real different between these two types of fantastic desserts is OATS. A crisp has oats, a crumble does not. And that explains why I’ll always choose a crumble, time after time. I love oats, but they don’t love me. Team crumble for life.
Apple + Blackberry makes for fantastic desserts
I doubt anybody is going to argue with me about the fact that apple pie is a good thing. Or a berry crumble. I mean nothing screams summer more than a berry crumble, right? But apples AND blackberries? Is that really a great combo?
Let me tell you a few of the reasons why I love these two together, and how I came up with this combo.
- The inspiration. We are lucky enough to live on a small farm that has an orchard. We also live in Oregon, so naturally, there’s wild blackberries everywhere. I got the idea for this pie wandering through our little orchard. Several of our gnarly old apple trees loaded with ripe fruit, were completely entangled at the stump. Vines laden with blackberries creeped up their sides. I had a lightbulb moment. I mean, if it grows together, it goes together.
- The benefits. Not only is this combination tasty, they also form a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Ever baked a berry pie only to have it turn into a weepy, soupy mess? It can be tricky to get the right texture with berry pies. There is nothing I want less than my pie to be a big pile of mush. You want your fruit to have a little bite. To still taste and feel like it was meant to. The apples in this dessert not only add a great snap and crunch, but their natural sugars and pectin help to firm up the berries. A match made in heaven!
Einkorn flour: the key for fantastic desserts
I have a few beloved family members who tease me for the amount of times I’m able to drop the word “Einkorn” into a conversation. I’ve waxed poetically about this flour for years, I get it. You know. But here’s the thing, Einkorn is really, truly worth all the hype. And for me, who struggles to digest gluten and grains, it’s a real lifesaver.
Years ago, before I even understood that my body has a hard time digesting grains, I made the switch to Einkorn flour. Learning that it was an ancient grain that had never been hybridized really appealed to me. Knowing that thanks to its weaker gluten structure, it was easier to digest, made sense! Hearing that it contained more protein, vitamins and minerals than regular flour, and I was sold!
All health benefits aside, for me, baking with Einkorn flour is all about FLAVOR. Einkorn flour gives a beautiful golden color to your baked goods. A nutty, buttery taste that can’t be beat. It adds so much depth and interest to the treat, all the while being better for your body. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I typically bake with Jovial’s All-Purpose Einkorn Flour, which I buy in 10 lb. bags. It isn’t cheap, but it is absolutely worth it!
Savoring the bounty of summer
You may not have the advantage of being married to a berry farmer like I do, or live in a state where the most invasive species bears a delicious summer fruit, but likely there are blackberries available somewhere near you. Can I plead with you to- at least once in your life- find somewhere to pick them fresh? Stand in the sunshine and eat them straight off the vine? There’s really nothing like it.
Here’s a few of my favorite blackberry varieties:
- Columbia Stars. I’m listing this one first out of pure loyalty to my husband. He’s hopelessly devoted to these berries and might spend as much time with them as he does with me. Ha! Columbia Stars are big, juicy, flavorful and sweet. They hold their shape well, freeze great and hold up well even when cooked or baked. Perfect for fantastic desserts!
- Marion berries. If you aren’t from the PNW, you may not even know what a Marion berry is. They’re famous for really only growing well right here in Marion County, Oregon. They are a variety of blackberry, even though they sound like their own thing, which can also be confusing. But these are hands down my favorite berry. Marions are a little smaller and softer than Columbia Stars, but what they lack in size, they more than make up for in flavor.
I’ve spent many glorious summer evenings walking through the rows as the sun sets, absolutely cramming these beauties into my face. Picking them straight off the bush, still warm from the sun, and popping them into my mouth. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Apple Blackberry Crumble Pie
DifficultyMedium
Servings8
Prep time2 hours
Cook time45 minutes
Total time2 hours45 minutes
Do you know what it’s like to be married to a berry farmer? Well, for one thing, you are strictly forbidden from buying berries in the winter. Don’t even try! You also probably own an extra freezer or two, solely devoted to freezing your berries. You definitely know all the different berry varieties, and when each one is ready to harvest. And you may even get to the point where you can distinguish between plants in the field. The best part about being married to a berry farmer though? Summertime blackberry pie. Apple Blackberry Crumble Pie to be exact.
Ingredients
Einkorn Pie Crust
- 2 1/2 cups All-purpose Einkorn Flour, (300 g)
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 12 Tbsp cold butter, cubed, (166 g)
- 1/4 cup ice water, (59 g)
Pie Filling
- 3 each apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup blackberries, frozen or fresh
- 1/3 cup maple sugar
- 1/4 cup All-purpose Einkorn flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Crumble Topping
- 1 3/4 cups All-purpose Einkorn flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/3 cups butter, soft
- 1 1/3 cups maple sugar
Instructions
Pie Crust
- 1
Prepare to assemble the crust, as it will need to chill for at least 30 minutes before baking. I prefer to let it chill for a few hours. Up to you! Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- 2
Add the water and stir with a fork until the dough begins to come together.
- 3
Gently knead the dough with your hands- adding a bit more water if necessary- until you can form a solid ball with the dough. Press the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Pie Filling
- 1
Peel and slice apples. In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients and stir together. Let the mixture sit.
Crumble Topping
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add the flour, baking powder and sugar to a medium-sized bowl, mixing together.
- 2
Add the butter and mix it in with your pastry blender until it looks like bread crumbs. Set aside.
Pie Assembly
- 1
Flour your countertop or work surface well. Remove your pie crust from the fridge and slice it in half.* Roll the crust into a 1/4 inch circle. Grab a pie dish and place nearby. Place your rolling pin in the center of your circle of dough, lift one edge and peel it back over the pin. Carefully lift your crust and place it in the center of the pie dish, letting the extra dough drape over the sides. This will be what you crimp for your crust. Tamp the dough down gently so it fills the whole dish.
- 2
Spoon your filling into your crust, making sure it is evenly distributed. It’s ok if it mounds up in the middle, I like a full pie. And as it cooks it will settle some.
- 3
Spoon the crumble topping over the filling, making sure all of the filling is well covered with a nice, thick layer of crumble.
- 4
Flip the overlapping edges of dough back onto itself and use your fingers to create a little mound. Here’s a video you can watch to see how it’s done.
- 5
Place your pie dish on a sheet pan and bake it in the oven until golden brown and bubbly. About 45 minutes. Let it cool fully before slicing into the pie. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Notes
I have a hard time providing exact amounts sometimes as so much of pie making is by feel. Maybe that’s why I like it so much, it’s more forgiving and less exact than other baking operations. Bottom line, practice, practice, practice. Even the ugly ones taste good.
*You will only need one half of the crust for this pie. Put the other in the fridge and save for a quick skillet Chicken Pot Pie dinner.
Keywords:Apple Blackberry Crumble Pie, Apple Pie, Blackberry Pie, Summer Dessert, Crumble Pie, Pie, Summer Pie, Homemade Pie, Pie Crust, Einkorn Flour, Einkorn Pie
Blackberries are special
Blackberries truly have a special place in my heart, not just for their delicious flavor profile and many uses, but mostly because they are our livelihood. Farming is not an easy life. You sacrifice your summers, when most people are playing, to work harder than seems right. You can do everything well and find yourself at the mercy of market prices, weather and insects. There have been years where things have been soberingly slim and also years of incredible bounty.
But more than anything, blackberries are so special to me because of the life they provide for our boys. Growing up riding pickers into the sunset, chasing their Dad around the fields, helping move irrigation guns and stack crates. It’s a beautiful legacy they are getting to live into, and you’d better believe they soak up every second.
Share the love!
If you give this recipe a try, and you SHOULD, will you please leave a comment letting me know what you thought? I always get a little nervous with baking recipes because I’m not the most precise baker, preferring to go by touch and feel to some extent. So it’s super helpful to get feedback!
And if you want to make sure you fit this recipe in before the end of summer, pin this image so you can keep track of it. Now go make some delicious, fantastic desserts!
