This flavourful pie brings blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and apples together and tops it with a crunchy crumb topping. Pre-cooking 3/4 of the fruit filling creates a fabulous, jammy texture, while chunks of uncooked fruit add contrast. A standout pie, perfect for when you can’t decide on just one flavour!
This fabulously delicious pie is a re-creation of a pie I recently enjoyed from a bakery, where I was smitten from the first bite! The full-flavoured fruit filling combined with the sweet and crunchy crumb topping was a perfect bite. The unique method of pre-cooking much of the fruit ensures that this pie keeps all the fruit flavour without producing a watery pie.
Admittedly, it won’t be the prettiest pie on the table, but it might very well be the tastiest!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Blueberries – Fresh or frozen blueberries will both work in this pie. I found that wild or smaller cultivated blueberries work best, rather than the larger blueberries.
Blackberries – Fresh or frozen blackberries are fine.
Raspberries – I’m partial to using fresh raspberries, just for the fuller flavour, but frozen raspberries will work.
Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are recommended, as frozen raspberries tend to be a bit lacking in flavour.
Apple – A “baking” apple will hold its shape best in this pie, such as Northern Spy, Cortland, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, Braeburn, Jonagold or Ida Red. Avoid softer apples such as Macintosh, which may become mushy.
Single deep-dish pie crust – You can make your own pie crust from your favourite recipe, or use a store-bought frozen pie crust. You don’t need to par-bake the crust.
How to make berry apple crumb pie: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Measure out the fruit and add it to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
Step 2: Remove 1 1/2 cups of the fresh fruit and set aside.
Step 3: Add the remaining fruit to a large saucepan and add the sugar.
Step 4: Cook the fruit mixture until the fruit has released some juices.
Step 5: Remove some of the hot fruit juices to a bowl with the cornstarch and make a paste.
Step 6: Add the cornstarch paste to the saucepan and continue cooking until jammy in texture.
Step 7: Add the reserved fruit to the saucepan off the heat and stir in. Allow to cool slightly.
Step 8: Mix together the crumb mixture in a small bowl.
Step 9: Add the cooled filling to an uncooked pie shell and top with the crumb topping. Bake and enjoy!
Recipe tips!
- As noted above, smaller blueberries will work best in this pie. If in season, the smaller wild blueberries are perfect. If not, scan the blueberry containers and grab the one with the smallest blueberries.
- Using fresh fruit will deliver the fullest fruit flavour and is recommended whenever possible. That said, since most of the filling is pre-cooked, excess moisture will cook off from frozen berries and not compromise the consistency of the filling.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This pie is at its best on the day it is baked, but it keeps surprisingly well for several days. I like to refrigerate this pie after about 24 hours on the counter, simply to prolong the shelf life a bit.
This pie will freeze well for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Berry Apple Crumb Pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup raspberries, fresh recommended
- 1 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup strawberries, fresh recommended
- 1 cup apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozenwild or smaller blueberries recommended
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 9-inch deep-dish pie shell, storebought or homemade, uncooked
For the crumb topping:
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 6 Tablespoons cold butter, diced
Instructions
- Add 1 cup raspberries (fresh recommended), 1 cup blackberries (fresh or frozen), 1 cup strawberries (fresh recommended), 1 cup apples (peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces) and 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozenwild or smaller blueberries recommended) to a large bowl. Gently stir to combine well. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the fruit mixture and set aside.
- Put the remaining fruit into a large saucepan. Add the 1 cup white granulated sugar to the fruit and stir together. Cook over medium heat until the berries release some juice. Remove 3-4 Tablespoons of the warm berry juice and add to a bowl with the 1/3 cup cornstarch to make a paste (it's ok if you take a little fruit with the juice).
- Stir the cornstarch paste into the saucepan with the berries. Cook until the fruit is thickened to jam consistency, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla, then stir in the reserved fresh fruit. Set the fruit aside to cool for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400F (regular bake setting – adjust as needed for convection or fan-assisted).
- While the fruit mixture is cooling, prepare the crumb topping by stirring together the 1 cup light brown sugar (packed) and 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled) together in a medium bowl. Add the butter to the bowl. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, rub or cut the 6 Tablespoons cold butter (diced) into the flour mixture until you have an even crumb. Take your time to rub the butter in well and evenly.
- Once the fruit has cooled, spoon it into a 9-inch deep-dish pie shell (storebought or homemade, uncooked). Top evenly with the prepared crumb topping. Place the pie onto a baking sheet to catch any bubbleovers.
- Bake pie at 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350F, cover loosely with foil and continue cooking for about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving, or cool completely, cover and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This pie will also freeze well.
Notes
Inspired by “Thornberry Pie”, Goldsmith’s Farm Market and Bakery
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
