Desserts! Desserts! Who needs dinner?

I have to be honest, I have become like most, focused on what is for dessert?!  My husband, who claims he has no sweet tooth, when in actuality he does have a sweet tooth, it is just a sweet tooth that needs a few bites of something sweet and not an entire chocolate bomb of some sort. Recently, he realized his love for blackberry pies, at the same time I was getting ready to conquer my fear of making homemade pies.  Yes, fear.  How many of YOU have mastered the art of the, pardon my French, damn crust?  And who has found an easy recipe that you can't easily screw up?!  Well, I did!  For Christmas my mom bought me the recipe book "Cutie Pies" and they have fabulous recipes and ideas, one of which is their butter pie crust...DIVINE!!!  So here is my recipe for my blackberry pie, using the Cutie Pies All Butter crust recipe...of course it's good for you, it's homemade! ;)

Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup ice water (be cautious on this as you may not need all of this water)

 

1. Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, salt, and sugar, mixing well. Add butter and mix gently using a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands, until butter pieces are well coated. Gradually add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue mixing until pea-size crumbs have formed; dough should not be smooth and beaten together like cookie dough.
2. Gather dough together and divide in half. Flatten each into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Transfer dough to refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using.

 

Filling:

4 cups fresh blackberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup sugar (additional)

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Combine 3 1/2 cups berries with the sugar and flour. Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup berries on top of the sweetened berries, and cover with the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges, and cut vents in the top crust for steam to escape.
3. Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Don't forget to serve it with homemade vanilla ice cream! O M G!!!