“Fresh Loaded Blackberry Pie”

Fourth of July is around the corner and plenty of picnics, barbecues and family gatherings will be happening in the not to distant future. As luck would have it, one of my favorite things about summer is fresh fruit. Visiting your local produce market is just fruit overload at its best. Not that any of us mind, I’m sure but the varieties available can be overwhelming. I’m pretty adventurous with foods I’ve never tried before and fruit is one of them. However, we all have favorites and I especially love those that bring back fond memories. When blackberries are in season, it’s time for a Fresh Loaded Blackberry Pie. A perfect dessert for the 4th that can be baked the night before and you are good to go.

When I first started this website, I posted a recipe for Blackberry Cobbler. But this recipe is actually a pie and not a cobbler. Blackberries are delicious in just about anything from desserts to sauces, from ice cream to drinks and cocktails. Take your pick and right now blackberries are huge. I’m talking the size of walnuts and juicy sweet. So when I saw these giants, they said make me into a Fresh Loaded Blackberry Pie. So I did and in a square dish for fun.

Fresh Loaded Blackberry Pie

Rather than cook my filling as I do with my cobblers, I used the whole fresh blackberries. Adding cornstarch to fresh fruit will thicken the juices once the pie begins to cool after baking. A syrup forms once sugars, salt, and lemon juice is added. Adding brown sugar creates a caramel consistency to fruit syrup while baking. I also think brown sugar adds a richness granulated sugar cannot achieve. Buttery rich crust makes this pie a winner all around.

I wish I would have remembered to take a photo of the blackberries I used so you could see how big they were. That’s why I call it loaded. But if you’re lucky enough to find these huge beauties, make a pie. The evidence is in my Fresh Loaded Blackberry Pie with each bite. Watch faces light up when you appear with this homemade fruity dessert to an outdoor celebration. Have a safe, fun, and enjoyable 4th of July.

Fresh Loaded Blackberry Pie

Fresh Loaded Blackberry Pie

4 – 6 oz. containers fresh blackberries, washed and dried

3 T. cornstarch

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 T. light brown sugar

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

Pie crust for 9-inch two-crust pie, homemade or store-bought

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pie crust, line 9-inch pie plate or 8-inch square baking dish with 1 pie crust; set aside. Reserve remaining crust for top.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Add in blackberries and lemon juice, gently stirring until berries are coated.

Pour blackberry filling into prepared pie crust. Spread berries out evenly then dot top with butter pieces.

Place reserved top crust over filling and crimp edges, sealing to your liking. If using a square dish, you will not have to trim crust before crimping. Cut slits in top of crust to release steam before baking.

Bake in middle of oven for 50 – 55 minutes or until golden brown. Cover edges with foil if crust edges are browning too quickly. Remove from oven and let sit for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.