Description
This Best Blueberry Pie recipe features a flaky, buttery crust made with a blend of cold butter and cream cheese, encasing a luscious filling of fresh blueberries pureed and cooked with sugar, cornstarch, lemon, and spices. The pie is finished with a lattice or full top crust, brushed with milk and sprinkled with sugar for a beautifully browned finish. Served best with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, this classic summer dessert is both comforting and elegantly simple.
Ingredients
Scale
Pie Dough
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 ounces cold butter (3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks, sliced into pats)
- 4 ounces cold cream cheese (half an 8-ounce package, chopped)
- 2 tablespoons beaten egg (half of one egg)
- 1/4 cup ice water
Blueberry Filling
- 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (for pureeing)
- 5 cups fresh blueberries (whole)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (packed)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Topping
- 1 tablespoon milk (for brushing the pie crust)
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar (for sprinkling on top crust)
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (for serving)
Instructions
- Make the pie dough: Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Add cold sliced butter and chopped cream cheese, then cut them into the flour mixture until pea-sized pieces remain. Mix ice water and beaten egg, then add this to the flour mixture and combine. Knead gently until dough comes together, then divide into two discs, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare the filling: Puree 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries in a blender until liquified. Add 1 3/4 cups of the puree to a saucepan along with sugar, cornstarch, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine making sure no lumps remain. Cook over medium heat, whisking until the mixture thickens and reaches a light boil, then remove from heat.
- Finish the filling: Stir in 5 cups whole blueberries, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the thickened mixture. Adjust sweetness by adding more blueberries or sugar if necessary. Chill the filling completely in the refrigerator before assembling the pie.
- Roll out crust and assemble: Roll out one disc of chilled dough on a floured surface and fit it into a 9-inch pie pan. Chill briefly if dough softens. Pour the chilled blueberry filling into the crust. Roll out the second disc and create a lattice top or cover the pie with the whole crust, cutting vents if needed. Trim excess dough, fold under edges, and crimp to seal.
- Preheat oven and chill pie: Preheat oven to 425°F with a baking sheet on the center rack. Freeze the assembled pie for 20 minutes to keep the crust flaky.
- Prepare for baking: Brush the top crust with milk (or milk and beaten egg mix) and sprinkle with raw sugar. Place the frozen pie on the hot baking sheet in the oven.
- Bake at high temperature: Bake the pie at 425°F for 15 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown.
- Protect crust edges: Create a foil shield by cutting a circular hole in folded aluminum foil. Remove pie from oven, cover edges loosely with foil to prevent burning but leave the center exposed.
- Continue baking: Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and return the pie to the oven for 40-50 minutes more, until edges are brown and the center crust is light golden.
- Cool the pie: Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours to let filling set properly.
- Serve and store: Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, then refrigerate.
Notes
- For frozen blueberries: thaw and drain excess liquid before using; you can increase cornstarch slightly if needed for thickening.
- Use cold ingredients for the crust to ensure flakiness.
- Do not overwork the dough to avoid toughness.
- Chilling the pie before baking helps create a flakier crust.
- Cooling the pie fully before slicing prevents the filling from being too runny.
- Using a lattice top crust adds a classic decorative touch and helps vent the pie.
- Brushing with milk creates a matte crust; mixing milk with beaten egg adds a glossy finish.
