Apple Berry Pie with Cardamom Crust

November 11, 2021marissamakes

Prep time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves: One 9 Inch Double Crust Pie

This pie is made for cold weather comfort: it’s filled with Granny Smith apples, mountain blackberries, brown sugar, and cinnamon, with a crust studded with cardamom for extra warmth. It’s very adaptable and works with frozen or fresh berries. If you don’t have blackberries, you can substitute with your berry of choice, or simply increase the amount of apples. It’s the perfect pie for autumn and winter!

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A twist on the classic apple pie

I love pie. I prefer it to cake, and I find it to be one of the most relaxing things to make. Experimenting with pie flavors is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. That’s how this pie was born!

This pie is the best of both worlds when it comes to classic apple and classic berry pie. The different fruits gives a delightful variation in flavor and texture, and the cardamom crust gives it a special twist.

How to make the perfect pie crust

You can find my full write up and recipe for my favorite all-butter pie dough here. The most important things to remember when making all-butter dough is not to let it get too warm, and not over handle it. Over handling results in too much gluten development. This will make the crust too chewy and tough.

The addition of apple cider vinegar gives the dough a lovely flakey texture when baked. Don’t be alarmed by the vinegary smell of the raw dough: the vinegar bakes out of it in the oven. Trust me, you don’t want to skip this step!

How to make the perfect pie

When it comes to this pie, the filling is very straight forward because it doesn’t require any pre-cooking. Simply combine all of the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and let it macerate for about 10-15 minutes. Maceration is the process of softening foods by soaking in a liquid: in this case, lemon juice. It also helps to encourage the fruit to release excess liquid before being added to the pie, which decreases the chance of a soggy bottom. You’re welcome to add this extra liquid to your pie if you choose. If so, I would suggest adding another tablespoon or two of cornstarch to help it gel up in the oven.

Equipment for this pie

I made this pie using a deep dish 9″ pie plate, but you can use whatever pie dish you have on hand. Just be aware that if you use a dish smaller than mine, you may have leftover ingredients. If this happens, you can make mini pies using a regular or jumbo muffin tin!

Baking temperatures and times

Whenever I make pies or tarts, I like to bake at a higher temperature of 425 degrees F for the first 15-20 minutes of baking, before lowering the temperature for the rest of the bake. This ensures that the base of the pie cooks quickly, which helps the bottom stay nice and crisp.

After the first 15-20 minutes, lower the oven to 375 degrees F and continue baking for about 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is cooked and bubbly, and the crust is golden brown. If the crust browns too quickly, cover it with a piece of foil or crust shield to help keep it from burning.

Serving and storing

Allow the pie to cool completely before serving. It keeps well in the fridge, wrapped in foil or plastic wrap for about a week.

I hope you give this apple berry pie a try! Be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your bakes, and leave me a comment below! Your feedback helps other bakers who are giving this recipe a try, and I love hearing about your bakes!

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  • Prep time: 2 hours 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 45 minutes
  • Total time: 3 hours
  • Serves: One 9 Inch Double Crust Pie

Ingredients

For the Pie Dough

  • 1 recipe all-butter pie dough, see note
  • 1 tbsp ground cardamom, added to dough
  • 1 egg, beaten and thinned with water for the wash

For the Filling

  • 5 cups granny smith or other baking apple, peeled, cored, and sliced (630 g)
  • 2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen, and sliced if necessary (275 g)
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 2 tbsp lemon, juice
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (150 g)
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

For the dough

  • 1)

    Make the dough according to the recipe with the addition of the cardamom at the first step. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight before using.

  • 2)

    When you’re ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F and bring one disk of dough out of the fridge. Let it come to room temp for 5 minutes.

  • 3)

    On a well floured surface, roll out the dough until it’s about 1/8″ thick and approximately 1″ wider than your pie plate. Make sure to keep rotating the dough as you roll to keep it from sticking.

  • 4)

    Drape half the dough over the rolling pin and carefully lift it into the pie plate. Press it into the plate, trim off the excess, and return to the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling. Be careful not to stretch the dough as you press it, as this will cause it to shrink back when it bakes.

  • 5)

    While the pie base is chilling, combine all of the filling ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

  • 6)

    While the filling is macerating, prepare your lattice and decorations as desired with the second disk of dough. If prefer not to make a pie lattice, simply roll out the second disk to be the same size as the first.

  • 7)

    Remove the chilled base from the fridge, and add the filling. Cover with the lattice and decorations, and egg wash the crust using a pastry brush. If you do not make a lattice, be sure to cut vent holes in the top of the pie for the steam to escape.

  • 8)

    Refrigerate the assembled pie for 15-20 minutes before baking to prevent it from losing shape in the oven.

  • 9)

    Bake on the middle rack at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.

  • 10)

    Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F and continue to bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. If it’s browning too quickly, cover the pie with foil as it bakes.

  • 11)

    Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight wrapping or container for up to 1 week in the fridge.

Notes

Here is the recipe for my all-butter pie dough

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