Hubby traditionally requests a birthday pie instead of a cake, and I always thought it was a little odd. Until now.

Oregon’s blackberries are in season, and these little gems are tangy, sweet and downright addictive. Every so often we’ll walk (or run) by a bush and get a whiff of ripened berries, so it was a no-brainer to pick them fresh and use them in this year’s celebratory pie.

I Googled around for what looked like a winning recipe, then made a few tweaks for what turned out to be a new family favorite.

KineticFix’s Best-Ever Blackberry Pie

Adapted from Not Derby Pie’s recipe.

Ingredients: 

• 6 cups blackberries, rinsed, picked clean and patted dry
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp tapioca flour
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup dry oatmeal
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Pie crust (I used a pre-made frozen one to cut time!)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put blackberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and tapioca flour into a large bowl. Toss gently to coat berries evenly, and leave to macerate for 20 minutes.
3. While the berries are hanging out, prepare the crumb topping. Add flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon and nutmeg to a medium bowl. Cut butter into cubes and add, mixing with hands until the mixture resembles wet sand.
4. Spoon blackberries into bottom crust. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the top of the pie.
5. Set the pie on a baking sheet lined with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake another 30-35 minutes, until juices are bubbling and crumb topping is browned. Let cool at least 30 minutes before eating.

And, as NDP says, “serve with vanilla ice cream, for the win.” Fantastic!