Crazy Crust Berry Pie – this easy berry pie recipe has a crazy crust that creates itself in the oven. It's a cross between a pie and a cobbler! If you don't like crust (or think you can't make it) but want to make pie, THIS is the pie for you.
This pie came about by accident. Want to hear the story? Great! (Um, if you said no, scroll down, ha!)
I have a trademark for my blog name, Crazy for Crust. That means that no one else can use it in the U.S. Part of the deal of the trademark is that I have to be on top of when someone uses it or else I can lose my rights to the name. Anyway, long story short, that means that I routinely google Crazy for Crust to see if anything comes up that's not stuff about me or this blog.
I was doing this last week when something called "Crazy Crust" kept coming up. Intrigued, I clicked over and found that there is such a thing as a Crazy Crust Pie. It's a pie that has a batter crust that forms while it's baking. No rolling, no pressing into the pan: you pour the batter in, add the filling, and as it bakes the filling takes up the center and the crust forms around the edges.
*MIND BLOWN*
Crazy for Crust needed a Crazy Crust Pie…so this is my version.
I tried a few times before I settled on this recipe. The crust is a mixture that's almost like a pancake batter. It's made of flour, an egg, sugar, water, butter, and baking powder. It's as easy as mixing it up and pouring it into the pan. Once it's baked it's not too sweet and perfect with a nice sweet pie filling. This pie is almost like an upside down cobbler.
Most of the recipes that came up when I was researching were either apple (from scratch) or used pie filling. I love apple pie, in fact I have two versions, plus a slab pie, on this site, so I'm pretty appled-out at this point. I decided to go with berry, because that's my dad's favorite (and I can freeze this pie for Thanksgiving!)
This time of years fresh berries are meh, so frozen berries are where it's at.
Aren't those berries gorgeous? They're defrosted Oregon Berries that I used for this pie. Specifically, they're marionberries, which are an Oregon Marion Blackberry. You can use any berries you like in this pie. Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, your choice. If you're like me and love using frozen fruit in your pies, check for Oregon Berries next time you're shopping. They have a single growing season, are picked at the peak of freshness and frozen within 24 hours, and are available year round. Plus, frozen berries are often much more economical to portion out for baking.
If you're using frozen berries in this pie, it's important to defrost them well. I like to let them sit out for an hour or so, until their thawed, and then I drain them very well. You don't want extra water in your pie. Once you mix the berries with some sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon, you add them to the top of the batter in the pie plate and bake it. The berries sink down and get thick and form a pie in the center, with a crust around the edge.
It's Crazy Crust pie, yo'. I'll be serving this with whipped cream and LOTS of ice cream.
Gah, it's so pretty too!
Crazy Crust Berry Pie
Yield: 8-10 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Crazy Crust Berry Pie - this easy berry pie recipe has a crazy crust that creates itself in the oven. It's a cross between a pie and a cobbler!
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup water
For the filling:
- 3 cups frozen berries (any kind), thawed and drained well (fresh is fine too)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9.5-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. (You can probably use a 9-inch but don't go any smaller.)
Make the crust: beat butter until smooth with a hand mixer in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, salt, and baking powder. Add the water and flour and mix until smooth.
Make the filling: sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch over berries, gently toss to coat.
Pour crust batter into pie plate, then place the berries in the center. Try to get the berries in a single layer, but leave a 1-inch border to form the edge of the "crust". Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out dry from the edges. The center will still be somewhat wet looking because of the berries. Cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Adapted and inspired from an old Pillsbury newspaper clipping.
Find more recipes, tips, and information about Oregon Berries online: Facebook – Twitter – Pinterest
This post was sponsored by Oregon Berries. All opinions are 100% my own.
Source: Crazy for Crust
