Name: Blackberry Pie With Lattice Crust
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2½ cups all-purpose flour; ¾ cup (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes; ¼ cup (2 oz.) cold vegetable shortening; ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp Morton kosher salt; 4 Tbsp. ice water, plus more; 6 cups blackberries (1¾ lb.); 1–1¼ cups sugar; ¼ cup cornstarch; 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted; 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice; 2 Tbsp. water; 1 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca, ground into a powder; 1 egg white, lightly beaten; 1 Tbsp. coarse sanding sugar or granulated sugar; Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or cinnamon ice cream (for serving)

A blackberry pie with a latticetopped crust in a pie dish with a slice cut out.

Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell

Homemade blackberry pie tastes like summer, no matter what time of year you bake it. It’s fantastic with fresh blackberries in season, but frozen blackberries can do the trick (just don’t thaw them before tossing them with the rest of the ingredients).

You’ll use tapioca and cornstarch as thickeners for this blackberry pie recipe. The combination ensures the berry mixture bakes up juicy, not soggy, and beautifully set. But before you start mixing, give your berries a taste. If they’re very sweet, use the smaller amount of sugar suggested below. A little lacking? Boost the sugar to the full amount. This berry pie also gets a dash of lemon juice to keep the filling bright and zippy. While you’re at it, go ahead and include the lemon zest, or add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, or a little almond extract to enhance the berries’ flavor even further.

While our go-to pie dough recipe is an all-butter one, the pastry here has a mix of cold butter and shortening. The duo builds an extra-flaky, durable crust that’s easier to arrange into the lattice top and holds its shape beautifully. Instead of a traditional egg wash, this recipe calls for brushing the top of the pie with egg whites only, and dusting with sparkling sanding sugar. The resulting pie crust practically shimmers and is tastier than any store-bought version. Serve your homemade blackberry pie warm or at room temperature, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Recipe information

Total Time
2 hours 15 minutes
Yield
8 servings

Ingredients

Pastry:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes

¼ cup (2 oz.) cold vegetable shortening

½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp Morton kosher salt

4 Tbsp. ice water, plus more

Blackberry pie filling and assembly:

6 cups blackberries (1¾ lb.)

1–1¼ cups sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca, ground into a powder

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. coarse sanding sugar or granulated sugar

Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or cinnamon ice cream (for serving)

Preparation

Pastry:
Step 1
Blend together 2½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes, ¼ cup (2 oz.) cold vegetable shortening, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps.
Step 2
Drizzle 4 Tbsp. ice water evenly over and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
Step 3
Gently squeeze a small handful: It should hold together without crumbling apart. If it doesn't, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) after each addition until incorporated, continuing to test. (Do not overwork dough or it will become tough.)
Step 4
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 portions. With the heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather each portion of dough and form it, rotating on surface, into a disk. Wrap disks separately in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
Do ahead: Dough can be chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap, up to 1 day.
Blackberry pie filling and assembly:
Step 5
Place a baking sheet in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
Step 6
Toss together 6 cups blackberries (1¾ lb.), 1–1¼ cups granulated sugar (if berries are very sweet, use the smaller amount), ¼ cup cornstarch, 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. water, and 1 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca, ground into a powder in a large bowl. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 20 minutes.
Step 7
Roll out 1 piece of pie dough into a 14" round and fit into a 9" pie plate (4-cup capacity). Trim edge, leaving a ½" overhang. Chill bottom crust while rolling out top.
Step 8
Roll out remaining piece of dough into a roughly 16x11" rectangle. Cut crosswise into 11 (1¼"-wide) strips with a fluted pastry wheel or a knife.
Step 9
Stir berry mixture, then spoon evenly into shell. Arrange strips in a tight lattice pattern on top of filling and trim strips close to edge of pan. Roll up and crimp edge. Brush top and edge with 1 egg white, lightly beaten, and sprinkle all over with 1 Tbsp. coarse sanding sugar or granulated sugar.
Step 10
Bake on hot baking sheet until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 60–70 minutes. (Check pie after 45 minutes: If edge of crust is browning too quickly, cover edge with aluminum foil or a pie crust shield and continue baking.) Cool completely on a rack before serving with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in the July 2000 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our best fruit pies →