Marionberry Pie

This delicious Marionberry Pie is made with fresh Pacific Northwest marionberries (a blackberry variety) and topped with a buttery brown sugar crumble. I use my all-butter pie dough for this berry pie, and the pie crust bakes up golden brown and flaky.  This pie won’t last long in your household, but you can enjoy it any time of day with a cup of coffee, and it's perfect with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

You all, there's nothing like a fresh pie straight from the oven.  Growing up, my mom was the master pie maker, and her pies were so good that we all wanted that first slice even while the pie was still too hot.

Berry pies with a crumble topping, like my Blueberry Crumble Pie, are hands-down my favorite kind of fruit pie. So when I spotted marionberries at the farmers market, I knew it was time to develop a version for one of my favorite berries. I tested this pie four times to get the filling just right (though one test didn’t exactly count, I dropped the whole pie as I pulled it out of the oven!).

The filling is juicy and flavorful, and I adjusted the amount of thickener so each slice holds together without being stiff. The crust bakes up golden brown and flaky, and the brown sugar crumble adds just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. If you’re a fan of fruit pies and crumble topping, you’ll also love my Peach Crumble Pie.

What is a Marionberry

So let's start with the basics. Marionberries are a type of blackberry grown almost exclusively in Oregon, originally developed in Marion County in the 1950s. They taste like a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry, sweet, tart, and intensely juicy. The season is short, running from early July through early August, so when you find them, grab some and bake.

Marionberry Crumble Pie Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that you’ll need for this incredible pie:

Marionberry Filling Ingredients

Crumble Topping Ingredients

• Fresh or Frozen Marionberries: When baking with fruit, especially berries, where the sweetness can vary from mildly sweet to very tart, it's important to taste the fruit so you can adjust the amount of sugar. I wouldn't use less than 1 cup of sugar because it's needed to help the filling thicken as it bakes, but if your berries are very tart, you may want to add a little more sugar.
• Lemon Juice:  The tartness of the lemon juice balances out the sweetness of the sugar and helps preserve the natural flavor and tartness of the marionberries.
• Tapioca Flour: Tapioca flour is my preferred thickener for this filling because it creates a clear, glossy finish, unlike cornstarch, which can leave it cloudy. I used 2 tablespoons, which is enough to help the filling hold its shape without becoming rubbery. The goal is a thick, juicy texture that stays in place, so it’s important to use a light hand with any thickener to avoid a gummy or stiff result.
• Crumble Topping: This crumble topping is so good. The sweetness, the cinnamon go so well with the sweet blackberry filling. This is my basic recipe for crumble, but feel free to add your flavors by adjusting the amount of ground cinnamon or adding another spice like nutmeg.
• Prepared Pie Crust: My homemade pie crust is buttery, flaky, and is much better than store-bought for this recipe. A store-bought crust will brown too quickly and may dry out because of the long baking time. For the best results, keep your pie dough chilled before rolling it out and while you prepare the filling.

Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Marionberry Pie

I love pie, especially crumble pie. Double-crust pies are great, but crumble-topped pies are even better. That crunchy sweet topping combined with a juicy, sweet tart filling is just about perfect in my opinion. When this pie was done and ready I did a little happy dance as I ate it.

Step 1: Make the pie dough and refrigerate it for at least 45 minutes and for up to two days.  

Step 2: Roll out the pie dough out to a 12-inch circle and transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate.  Refrigerate the dough for 60 minutes or freeze it for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3: Place the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. 

Step 4:  Add the butter to the dry ingredients and use either a pastry blender to cut the butter in the flour mixture. 

Step 5:  The butter should be about the size of peas when done. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to keep the crumble cold while you prep the marionberries.

If using fresh marionberries, rinse them under a spray of water and remove any small leaves or sticks.  Remove any berries that appear spoiled.  Spread the berries on paper towels to dry them off.

Step 6: Prepare the berry filling. If using frozen berries, don’t let the berries thaw out before mixing them with the other pie filling ingredients.

Step 7: Spoon the berry mixture into the prepared pie shell.

Step 8: Spread the crumble topping on top of the marionberries.

Adjust the amount of crumble topping to your taste.  In my opinion, you can’t have too much crumble topping.  Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  The rimmed baking sheet catches any filling that overflows the crust.  

Step 9: Bake the pie until the juices in the pie are bubbly all the way around the pie, about 35-40 minutes.  If the pie crust starts to get too brown, cover the edges with a pie shield.

Step 10: Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool in a wire rack for 2-3 hours it as room temperature.  

Tip:  If you want absolutely clean cuts, let the cool completely, cover the pie with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 30-60 minutes.

How to Store The Pie

The pie can sit at room temperature loosely covered with plastic wrap for up to 2 days because this is a fruit pie and the filling doesn’t contain egg, cream, or milk.  If the weather is hot or humid, then refrigerate the pie after the first day. The pie can be refrigerated for 3-4 days covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Variations

• Marionberries are a type of blackberry so you can other varieties blackberry varieties in this recipe.
• Frozen marionberries can be used if you cannot find fresh berries. Don't thaw out the berries. Add them to the pie crust while they are still frozen.
• Add chopped almonds or pecans to the crumble topping.

Equipment

• Pie Plate: For this pie, I used the USA Pan Pie Pan.  I get the best results with metal pie tins.  The bottom crust browns beautifully and you can see the pie crust layers when you cut into it. 
• Pastry Blender: The pastry blender is a great tool for cutting the butter into the dry ingredients. I think it's especially helpful if your hands tend to be warm, which can make the butter very soft if you're making the pie crust or crumble topping by hand.

If you make this yummy fruit pie, please leave a rating and a comment below.

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Marionberry Pie with a Brown Sugar Crumble

4.75 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Chilling: 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 hours hours

Summer pies are the best. There's nothing like buttery, flaky pie crust filled with fresh summer fruit or in this case Oregon marionberries. The berries taste like a cross between a blackberry and raspberry. With their tart sweet taste combined with the brown sugar crumble topping this recipe will become a new favorite.

Servings: 8

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Cheryl Norris

Equipment

• ▢
  9-inch pie plate
• ▢
  Digital Scale
• ▢
  Mixing Bowls
• ▢
  Pastry Blender
• ▢
  Half Baking Sheet

Ingredients

Homemade Pie Crust

• ▢ 1 recipe homemade pie crust use the single crust version

Crumble Topping

• ▢ 1-1/2 cup (188 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
• ▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 12 tablespoons (169 grams) unsalted butter cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Marionberry Pie Filling

• ▢ 5 1/2 cups (767 grams) fresh marionberries washed and dried
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest about 1 lemon that weighs 90 grams
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• ▢ 5 tablespoons (40 grams) Bob’s Red Mill finely ground tapioca flour

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Instructions

Make the Pie Dough

• Use this recipe for the pie dough. Once the dough is done wrap the disk in plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes. Freeze the other half of the dough. The dough for this pie can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
• For a 9-inch pie plate roll the dough until is it 1/8-inch thick and 12-13 inches round. Fold the dough in half and then half again so that you have a quarter. Place the dough in the pie plate do the corner of the dough is centered. Gently unfold the dough so the pie plate is completely covered, and the dough is overhanging the edges of the pie plate.
• Trim the dough so that there is about a 1-inch overhang all the way around. Fold the dough under so that it rests on the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the dough using a fork or create your own design.
• Refrigerate the prepared dough for at least 60 minutes or freeze it for 30 minutes.

Crumble Topping

• Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place it back in the refrigerator so it stays cold while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Place the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium size bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until well combined. Use your fingers to break up any clumps of brown sugar. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and toss the butter into the flour mixture with your hands until all the butter is well coated.
• Use the pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until the butter is pea sized. You can also you use your hands if you don’t have a pastry blender. To mix it with your hands take each piece of butter and smash it flat between your thumb and first two fingers. Continue to do this until the butter is pea sized.
• Cover the crumble with plastic and place it in the refrigerator to keep it cold until ready to use. If not using the crumble the same day, place it in an airtight container (something with a lid) to keep it from drying out. The crumble can be made up to one week in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

Assemble the Pie

• Place the marionberries in a large bowl and zest the lemon directly into the berries then add the lemon juice. Combine 3/4 cup of the sugar, tapioca, and the salt and whisk together. Add these ingredients to the marionberries and gently fold the sugar mixture, lemon juice, and lemon zest into the berries. Taste the berries and decide based on taste if you want to add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
• Let the marionberries sit for 10 minutes so the sugar and tapioca dissolve before baking.

Baking the Pie

• While the berries are macerating preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a half baking sheet in the oven lined with parchment paper. Baking the pie on a baking sheet will catch any pie juices that bubble over. Baking it on a hot baking sheet will ensure that the bottom of the pie dough browns.
• Remove the prepared pie shell for the refrigerator or freezer and spoon the marionberries into the pie shell. Spread the crumble topping over the berries.
• Bake the pie at 400°F for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake the pie for another 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbly all the way around. If the crust starts to get too dark cover the edges of the crust with a pie shield.
• Remove the pie from the oven. Place it on a wire rack and allow to cool for 3 hours to room temperature before serving.

Storing the Pie

• The pie can sit at room temperature for 2 days (and for 1 day if the weather is hot and humid). Store the pie in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, covered with plastic wrap or foil.

Notes

Tapioca Flour: I love tapioca flour as a thickener because it helps create a clear filling. If you can’t get tapioca flour, use an equal amount of cornstarch.

Taste the Fruit: Marionberries like any fruit can vary in sweetness. Make sure to taste the fruit before adding anything to it to help determine the final amount of sugar. The amount of sugar can be adjusted according to your taste.

Serving the Pie: If you want absolutely clean cuts when you serve the pie, refrigerate the pie for about 1 hour before serving. This step will help the pie filling completely set and the fruit will stay in place when the pie is cut.

Freezing the Unbaked Pie: Place the filling in the pie shell and then add the crumble topping. Place the uncovered pie in the freezer overnight. Wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn, then return it to the freezer. When ready to bake the pie, preheat the oven and place the frozen pie in it. Follow the same baking instructions in the recipe for baking a fresh pie.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 519mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 1175IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

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