Sweet, tart, buttery, a hint of chocolate–this Raspberry Crumb Pie is all about balance and texture. The real game changer here is the shortbread crumb topping. With large chunks of shortbread in each bite, there’s a bit of buttery richness that perfectly complements the tartness of the raspberry filling.
We’re at the point in this pandemic where I’m finally beginning to miss things from before the world shut down. Most notably, I miss bookstores. I know a lot are open for limited browsing, but personally I still don’t feel like it’s safe to go out in the world. But that doesn’t stop me from missing the rows of books, the welcoming smell, the ability to pick a book off the shelf and read the first page to see if I want to buy it. That of course hasn’t stopped me from buying books and supporting local indies with online purchases, but I’ve always been one to make an event of bookstore days and now I just wait by the door for the mail to come, grab my box to open outside, and immediately sanitize (I know the risk is small, but I am also that person who doesn’t fully buy into logic over fear).
I also really miss theater and live performances, especially from smaller venues, and writing in coffee shops–which I started doing at the beginning of the year and only did maybe once or twice but found to be my most productive days of the year so far. I want to be able to hug my niece and nephews or visit them and not be constantly worrying that I may be giving them a virus. I even miss being able to stroll around the grocery store, finding inspiration for new bakes that way.
I’m totally okay with making sacrifices and just thinking about things that I once loved in hopes that maybe, if enough people could take caution, it’ll finally feel safe enough to walk outside or pass someone in an aisle somewhere. That’s why I love getting requests and suggestions for new pies and bakes. It’s a way to get out of my own head and come up with flavors and ideas that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of.
That’s how this Raspberry Crumb Pie came about. It sounds crazy that I wouldn’t have thought of a raspberry pie, but I maybe buy one or two small containers of raspberries a year and eat them mixed in with a bunch of other fruits. This pie though brings all the tart joy of a raspberry to life. Add a bit of sugar to balance out that sweetness and a buttery crumb topping with pops of bittersweet chocolate (dark chocolate and raspberry is an unbeatable combo if you ask me) and chunks of rich shortbread (I just bought a box of Walkers Shortbread, no need to make your own), and you bite into something a bit unexpected and wholly delicious.
| Cook Time | 85-90 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 300 grams all purpose flour
- 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 170 grams unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 1 Tbsp vodka
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ice water as needed
- egg white wash (1 egg white whisked with 1 Tbsp water)
- 1130 grams frozen raspberries (40 oz, about 8 cups of berries)
- 1 lemon juice & zest
- 150 grams granulated sugar
- 12 grams corn starch (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp)
Ingredients
All Butter Single Pie Crust*
Raspberry Filling
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- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingertips, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you have mostly pea-sized chunks of butter covered in flour. Using the tip of a knife, or your fingertips, stir in the vodka and apple cider vinegar until large clumps begin to form. Add in the ice water 1/2 Tbsp at a time until you can form the dough into a ball. Use your fingertips to pinch together any dry bits into the dough, sprinkle with water if needed to bring all the dough together into a ball. Shape the dough into a flat disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Lightly flour your countertop or work surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 12"x4". Fold the top 1/3 of the dough to the center. Fold up the bottom 1/3 of dough to overlap with the top half. Flip the dough 90 degrees and repeat the rolling and folding process. Flip 90 degrees and repeat one more time. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Lightly grease a 9" pie dish (about 1.5-2 inches deep). Lightly flour your countertop or work surface and roll out the chilled dough until it's about 1/4"-1/2" thick and the circle of dough is larger than the pie dish so that you'll have at least 1 inch of overhang; trim as needed. Gently place the dough into the pie dish; make sure there is no space between the dish and the pastry. Crimp as desired. Dock the bottom of the pie with a fork and chill the dough-lined pie plate in the freezer until solid, at least 30 minutes.
- Line the pastry with a piece of parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or dry rice; this will help weigh down the dough so that the sides don't fall and the center of the pie doesn't puff up. Place the pie dish on the preheated baking sheet and return to the bottom rack of the oven. Bake 15-20 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and take out the parchment paper with the weights. Brush the bottom and the sides of the crust with the egg white wash to help seal in any moisture. Return to the middle rack of the oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Remove the pie crust and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Thaw the frozen fruit and strain any water or juices that come out. In a large bowl, toss the strained berries with lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk together the sugar and corn starch and toss with the berries.
- Pour the berries into the par-baked pie crust (depending on how deep your pie dish is, you may have some extra berries left)**. Don't be afraid to pile it up a little bit, the berries will shrink as they bake.
- Place the filled crust on the preheated baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes.
- While the filling is baking, prepare your crumb topping. Whisk together the flour, oats, light brown sugar, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until no dry bits of flour or oats remain. Toss in the chunks of shortbread and chocolate. Set aside while the pie finishes the first 20 minutes of the bake.
- After the first 20 minutes, lower the oven to 350°F. Remove the pie from the oven and top with the shortbread crumb mixture--if you desire less crumb, you may have more left over, but I like to pile mine on top until all the berries are covered and there's a bit of a heaping dome in the center.
- Return the pie, on its baking sheet, to the center rack of the oven. Bake an additional 30-35 minutes until the crust is baked through, the raspberry juices bubble, and the crumb topping is crisp. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Allow the pie to cool completely--at least four hours or overnight--before slicing.
*If you don't want to make your own pie crust, feel free to thaw and use a single frozen pie crust and par-bake as instructed.
**If you have extra berry filling and some extra crumb topping, don't toss them out! Grease a ramekin and pour in the rest of the filling, top with the crumble, and bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes until the juices bubble and the crumb crisps up.