Name: Blueberry Pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: For the Dough; Store bought dough or Mary’s favorite Pie Crust; 8 cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried; ⅔ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup cornstarch; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; Pinch of allspice; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon Mary’s Cognac Barrel-Aged Pure Vanilla Extract; 1 large egg; 1 tablespoon cream or half and half; Raw turbinado sugar

Sweets

Blueberry Pie

Author: Mary DiSomma

There’s nothing better than blueberry pie on the 4th of July. The blueberries are juicy and sweet because they’re in season, and everybody loves a good piece of pie at a barbecue or cookout. That in itself is a reason to celebrate! When I make a blueberry pie, I always use my delicious Cognac Barrel-aged Pure Vanilla Extract, and I add a little cinnamon. Follow my lead and you’ll be sharing a blueberry pie recipe that really shines. I also love making blueberry jam with leftover blueberries, but that’s a story for another day!

Blueberry pie is one of the easiest fruit pies to make because you don’t have to peel or pit anything. It’s also one of the most traditional pies, as blueberries are native to North America. Americans have been making blueberry pies since the first immigrants arrived here from Europe. In order to make a good blueberry pie, you’ll want to choose the right blueberries. Go for the bluest berries you can find. Avoid soft and blemished blueberries. If you find some good ones, stock up! Don’t worry about wasting them—you can just freeze them for later use. Certain berries are more flavorful than others. Wild blueberries are my first choice when I can find them.

If you’re feeling inspired by this pie recipe, then you’ll adore my cookbook, My Life in Pies. Inside you’ll find recipes like this summer berry pie, along with savory, meal-worthy pies and other creative treats.

Classic Pie Crust

Whatever you like to bake, it’s always handy to have an easy and delicious pie crust recipe in your back pocket. This one is easy to make, versatile for sweet and savory dishes, and easy to store.

Yield: 2 Pie Crusts
Prep Time: 1 hour 1 hr
Cook Time: 0 minutes0 min
Total Time: 1 hour 1 hr

Ingredients

For the Crust

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for sweet pies only)
12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about ½ cup) ice water

For the Blind Bake

9 inch pie pan
Parchment paper
Ceramic pie weights, raw dried beans (pinto or kidney), or raw rice

Instructions

For the Crust

Place the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. If you’re making a sweet pie, add the sugar now. Pulse a few times to combine. With the food processor on, add the butter through the feed tube, a few pieces at a time. Once the butter is incorporated, add the shortening, a little at a time. Pulse 8 to 10 times until the mixture forms pea-sized pieces.
With the food processor running, slowly add ice water through the feed tube, pulsing, until the dough begins to form a ball. Be careful not to get any actual ice into the mixture.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Form two balls, then slightly flatten each ball with the palm of your hand. This will make rolling out the dough easier once it is chilled. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This dough can be refrigerated overnight.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out as needed for the pie you are preparing.

For Blind Baking

To blind bake a crust, chill your pastry-lined pie pan in the refrigerator to freezer for 30 minutes. Raw pastry that is cold will be less likely to shrink when it hits the heat of the oven.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the pan from the freezer or refrigerator. Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. Evenly place ceramic pie weights, raw dried beans like pinto or kidney or raw rice in on the parchment paper. If you don’t have any of these items, you can even use sugar! Just make sure if you use dried beans or rice, you don’t use them for any other purpose. Just let them cool at room temperature and place them in a zip-lock bag to be used in a future blind bake. You can use them over and over!
For a fully blind baked pie shell, bake until the edges of the crust start to brown, about 15-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie pan. Using a fork, make 6 light pricks in the bottom of the crust, being careful not to go all the way thru. Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 8 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is light brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before filling.

Tips

Blueberry pie is one of the easiest fruit pies to make because you don’t have to peel or pit anything. It’s also one of our most traditional pies, as blueberries are native to North America. Americans have been making blueberry pies since the first immigrants arrived here from Europe.

In order to make a good blueberry pie, you’ll want to choose the right blueberries. Go for the bluest berries you can find. Avoid soft and blemished blueberries. If you find some good ones, stock up! Don’t worry about wasting them—you can just freeze them for later use. Certain berries are more flavorful than others. Wild blueberries are my first choice when I can find them.

If you do decide to stock up, here’s a pro tip for how to freeze blueberries: the “individual quick freeze” method. This is the best way to freeze fresh berries (and really, any fruit pieces).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then lay the fresh fruit out evenly over the pan. Stick the whole thing in the freezer, and let it freeze!
Once your fruit is frozen, you can transfer it to a freezer bag and keep it on hand for up to 6 months.

I love using this blueberry freezing method whenever I’m lucky enough to get fresh-picked berries right off the stand at my local farmer’s market. I’m telling you, I stock up! The best part, of course, is enjoying that fresh blueberry flavor all year long.

My Star Spangled Blueberry Pie is my favorite dessert to serve at 4th of July gatherings. Since the 4th of July usually means a lot of guests will be around, I like to make it pretty—just to add another layer of enjoyment! My friends and family certainly deserve it, and I bet yours do, too. The extra pizzazz is easy to achieve: just break out your star-shaped cookie cutters (or cut out stars by hand) and place them on top of the unbaked pie before putting it into the oven. Remember to give them a brush of egg wash and a sprinkle of sugar so they come out nicely browned and sparkly!

This festive 4th of July pie is perfect for your next summer buffet, picnic, or any outdoor get-together. Of course, the best way to serve this (and most pies) is with vanilla ice cream. I don’t skimp on the quality of my ice cream, especially if I put in the time to make a homemade pie. My personal favorites are Ben and Jerry’s or Häagen Dazs. If you really want to go all out, you could pair this pie with some of my homemade Sweet Corn Ice Cream. Now I’m getting hungry!

Extra Bits

Then you’ll adore my new pie cookbook, My Life in Pies: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Family and Friends. Inside you’ll find recipes like this summer berry pie, along with savory, meal-worthy pies and other creative treats.

Buy Pie Cookbook