Easy Blackberry Pie with Decorative Pie Crust

If you’re looking for a luscious pie with both fantastic flavor and a memorable look, you’ve come to the right place! This blackberry pie is delicious and beautiful. 

How to Make a Decorative Pie Crust

A pie is a pie is a pie. . .right? 

Wrong! Sometimes a pie is a work of art. Such is the case with this easy but delectable recipe. 

I’ve never been much of a pie baker but I’ve been trying! I recently made an apple pie and used my fondant plungers to punch out some leaf designs from the crust. 

Here's a picture of the pie before baking. Simple, right?

Then, about a week ago, my stepmom posted a picture of a gorgeous pie with a decorative crust, loaded with lattice, flowers, leaves, and so on. I absolutely fell in love. 

I decided to give this "pretty pie" thing a try. But, where to start? With my fondant plungers, of course!

What are Fondant Plunger Cutters?

Because I make speciality cakes I’ve got lots of fondant molds and plungers. Flowers. Leaves. Hearts. You name it, I’ve got a tool to make it. So, I saw that picture of the lovely pie and thought to myself, “Ooooh! Another way to use those fondant tools!” 

Before we go any further, let’s talk about fondant plungers. A plunger is a tool that you “plunge” with your finger to pop the fondant (or in this case, pie crust) out. Basically, you roll the pie crust thin, press the plunger down and then “plunge” the leaf or flower out. 

Here are a few of my favorite fondant plungers:

Leaf plunger cutters

Heart plunger

I’m a big fan of these flower cutters. They’re not plungers but they’re similar in style. To make a triple-layer flower I use all three of these and stack them. 

I’m also a fan of fondant molds, which came in very handy for this project. You press the pie crust into the mold and pop it out, then place it on top of the pie. I also used a texture mat.

We can talk more about how I designed this particular crust in a moment, but first let’s discuss the ingredients: 

Blackberry Pie Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a quick glimpse at what you'll need:

Pie Crust Ingredients

These are simple ingredients you probably have on hand.

• all purpose flour
• shortening (can substitute butter for half or all of the crust)
• salt
• granulated sugar
• ice cold water (more or less)

Filling ingredients

• blackberry pie filling (or other, your choice
• lemon juice (or lemon zest, your choice)

Optional: 

• sanding sugar for sprinkling
• egg wash (or whipping cream wash)

How to Make this Pie with Decorative Crust

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. 

Make your crust: 

Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar) in a large bowl. Chop up the shortening (or butter) and work it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or large blending fork. 

It’s time to add the ice water. Work it in a bit at a time. You want it to be moist enough to come together but not too wet. 

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for an hour. If you’re in a hurry you can place it in the freezer for 10 - 15 minutes. 

Place your two cans of pie filling in a medium bowl and add tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir well. 

Prepare a work space.

I used waxed paper and sprinkled it with extra flour. 

Divide dough in half and place on floured workspace. Roll half of it out into a disc and place in the pie plate.

Press tongs of fork into it in multiple places and place in the refrigerator. 

Using the remaining dough, make your decorative bits on work space with lightly floured surface. You can see that I opted for a wide variety. For some of these I used my silicone fondant mold. If you don’t have a mold you can always cut straight lines and/or braid small pieces together. 

Roll dough to ¼" thickness.

I opted for wide and narrow to add some variety. 

Pull the pie crust from the refrigerator and add your blackberry mixture.

It’s time to start decorating! I kind of made my design up as I went along. Some of the pieces are latticed. Some are not. I tried to add as much variety as possible. 

I started with the long pieces then built my flowers using the fondant flower cutter. I chose to push most of the flowers off to one side, just for emphasis. I added a couple of hearts on the right side to cover up some not-so-pretty spots. 

I chose to add a cream wash (lightly brush cream on the pie crust). You might choose an egg wash, instead. (Whipped egg yolk with a teaspoon of water added.)

Time to bake!

Place pie on a cookie sheet and put into a preheated oven on the center rack. I baked mine for 40 minutes then removed it and sprinkled on some sanding sugar. (You can tell from the photo that the crust is only partially baked.)

At this point I put a little bit of aluminum foil over the flowers and leaves because I didn’t want them to turn out a lot darker than the rest of the crust. 

I continued to bake for another 15 minutes (for a total of 55 minutes). Yours might need to bake a little longer (or even a little less time) depending on the amount of crust you add. Just bake until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and place on wire rack to cool. (Isn't that a pretty top crust?!)

You’ll need to let this pie rest for several hours before cutting. The filling needs time to set. In fact, it’s better the second day after chilling in the fridge. 

That said, I scooped mine into a bowl and ate it warm, like a cobbler. Please don’t judge me. I’m absolutely crazy about warm blackberry cobbler. 

Serve with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

What to Expect from this Pretty Pie

This one is as tasty as it is beautiful! I passed it off to a friend and got a quick text back saying, "Wow! This pie is great!" (blush, blush) The juicy blackberries, the crisp, flaky crust with that extra splash of sanding sugar? Yes, please!

I will warn you that this pie really does need to "set up" for a few hours before being sliceable due to the berry juices. If you want firm slices it will need to be refrigerated. If you want that light flaky crust against a warm filling you'll need to eat it in a bowl like a cobbler. (You won't be sorry, either way!)

It's delicious, it's beautiful. . .and it's memorable. Folks will be saying, "Hey, remember that gorgeous pie you brought to the such-and-such that one time? The one with the flowers on it?" Yeah, they won't soon forget this one!

Questions people are asking about decorative pie crusts: 

Do I have to pre-bake my bottom crust?

Most fruit pies that I've made don't require a pre-bake. If you're making a chocolate or coconut pie and you're skipping the fancy top crust and using a whipped cream topping (or meringue), you will want to pre-bake your bottom crust.

Where do I buy fondant cutters? 

I buy a lot of mine from amazon but they’re also available at WalMart (on the Wilton aisle) and at my local baker’s supply shop. 

Can I make my pie crust flowers by hand? 

Absolutely. I’ve often made fondant “roses” but cutting thin strips of fondant and rolling it into a flower shape. 

Can I use other pie fillings? 

Absolutely! Canned pie fillings come in all sorts of varieties: strawberry, peach, apple, and so on. You can even use fresh fruit (or frozen fruit). Full instructions on that below. 

Can I theme my pie by season? 

Absolutely! Search online for fondant cutters and plungers in advance and the sky’s the limit! 

Can I make a homemade pie filling? 

Absolutely. You’ll find that complete recipe with instructions at my Yummy Blackberry Cobbler post. Adding fresh fruit with sugar, cornstarch and a dash of lemon juice is key. Use fresh blackberries or other fruits. You can also opt for frozen.

How do I make a lattice crust?

You can use this handy-dandy YouTube video tutorial from King Arthur Baking Company to learn this simple process.

Can I use pre-made pie crust?

You can use Pillsbury pie crust or other ready-made if you like.

Other Pies and Cobblers from Out of the Box Baking: 

Easy Apple Pie with Homemade Crust:

If you love the warm rich flavors of apple and cinnamon and the lovely crisp crunch of a flaky crust, this is the recipe for you! Thanks to the addition of canned apple pie filling this Easy Apple Pie comes together so easily. . .but it tastes like it took hours!

Apple Pie Cobbler with Crescent Rolls:

Every now and again you stumble across a recipe that changes everything. This apple pie cobbler is one of those. It’s luscious, gooey, chewy, and perfect for fall! But it’s so easy to make you won’t want to wait until then to make it!

Old-Fashioned Cobbler with Homemade Pie Crust:

If you’re looking for a luscious cobbler with that crisp homemade crust you grew up eating, you’ve come to the right place. This easy recipe calls for canned pie filling but a crust so flaky and delicious you’ll swear you’re sitting around grandma’s table eating it.

Easy Peach Cobbler with Pie Crust:

If you’re in the mood for an easy, quick peach cobbler, one loaded with warmth and spice, you’ve come to the right place! This recipe comes together easily, but it doesn’t feel like a “cheat” dessert. It tastes like you slaved over the stove for hours. 

That's it for this post! Thanks for stopping by. This is one of those blackberry pie recipes you're going to use again and again!

See this recipe at

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.