
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!
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!