Spiced Blueberry Pie

So confession. We’re not really the big Valentine’s Day types. I feel like I’m a middle-of-the-road kind of girl when it comes to this. I don’t hate Valentine’s Day or go on long rants against the commercialism of the day. But I also don’t really love or expect a dozen red roses with a heart-shaped box of chocolates. No offense to those who fall in either camp! To each their own…

But the moral of my story is that I wanted my sweet-tooth husband to have a Valentine’s Day treat, without falling into a cliché. I preferred to make him something myself, so here we are! (Don’t judge me that it’s in fact two days after Valentine’s Day… We’ve been on opposite schedules – him working long days and me working nights.)

If you’re running late on your Valentine’s Day celebration, or maybe doing something smart like waiting for the weekend, here’s your alternative to a box of chocolates for your sweetheart (or Galentine’s Day girl’s night). This blueberry pie is a lot easier than I expected it to be. Pies intimidate me! (And all desserts, for that matter. I think I’ve mentioned that once or twice.) The dough was super-easy to make and the filling was just a matter of stirring a few times. This recipe was based on one in the mouth-watering cookbook Pie Love. Mine isn’t quite as pretty as the ones in those cookbook photos, but we’re here for the taste right? Tasty > pretty. Plus, I think this is the first pie I’ve ever made. I’ll perfect the prettiness maybe by the 50th.

Spiced Blueberry Pie

(Recipe adapted from the cookbook, Pie Love)

Ingredients: 

Piecrust:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 tbsp cold, unsalted butter
• Ice water (6-8 tbsp)

Filling:

• 5 cups blueberries
• 2/3 cup Grade A maple syrup
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• Additional brown sugar for sprinkling

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. To prepare the dough, initially place the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir together.
3. Add the butter in small pats. Turn on the stand mixer and mix until the ingredients begin to form crumbs.
4. Add the water, tablespoon at a time, while the mixer remains on. Continue until the dough comes together and begins to form a ball.
5. Turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Separate into two different sections, roughly 1/3 and 2/3 of the original ball.
6. Take the 2/3s ball and roll it out into a round piece of dough, approximately 12 inches in diameter and 1/8th of an inch thick. Fit this piece of dough into a greased 9-10 inch pie pan.
7. Chill the pie pan and the additional ball of dough (wrapped in plastic) in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
8. Rinse your blueberries and drain.
9. Place berries and maple syrup in a large pan. Turn heat on to medium. Stir in the spices, and salt. Add the butter in pats. As the butter is melting, slowly stir in the flour. Ensure it is well combined.
10. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring nearly continuously. The mixture should slowly bubble and begin to thicken.
11. While the filling is cooking, remove the pie pan from the refrigerator and bake for 5 minutes.
12. Roll out the remaining piece of pie dough and slice into long strips.
13. Pour the blueberry mixture into the piecrust.
14. Top with the long strips of dough. {Try to do it better than I did ;)}
15. Whisk together the egg and the vanilla. Brush over top of the pie.
16. Sprinkle additional sugar over the top.
17. Bake for 30 minutes. You should be able to see the filling bubbling.
18. Allow to sit out for an hour prior to slicing and serving.