I grew up eating the blueberries that grow wild in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. If a more flavorful, delicious blueberry exists, I’ve yet to meet it! Berries that good can bring any recipe to the next level, and I’m looking forward to this year’s blueberry season so that I can put them in Finnish Blueberry Pie! No worries if you don’t have plans to forage for blueberries this summer, though: this pie is still a standout when made with the grocery store variety.
In Finland, this pie would actually typically be made with bilberries. The tart, flavorful berries are complemented by a sweet cream filling that may remind of you of cheesecake, but lighter. The pie crust is similar to a sugar cookie, warmly flavored with a hint of cardamom.
Grab a pie pan and some blueberries, and let’s enjoy a taste of Finland!
Tools & equipment for Finnish Blueberry Pie
- Pie or tart pan (an 8 or 10 inch pie pan works well)
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Aluminum foil
- Pie weights or dry beans
Ingredients for Finnish Blueberry Pie
- Butter, at room temperature
- Eggs
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Fine sea salt
- Ground cardamom: fresh ground will always give the best flavor, but ground cardamom from the grocery store is also fine for this recipe.
- Blueberries: fresh or frozen will do! Wild blueberries are hard to top for flavor, but use what you have available.
- Sour cream, at room temp: In Finland kermavilli is used, but the closest American match is full fat sour cream. Creme fraiche, if you have it, works well also.
- Vanilla extract
- Cornstarch: helps the filling set
- Lemon zest: enough to add freshness, not enough to add lemon flavor.
The Process
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit and grab a pie plate or tart pan. If you do not have pie weights or dry beans (what I use!) you may have more success making this Finnish Blueberry Pie tart style, with a flat crust. If you try to make a tall crust without any weights, the crust will slump quite a bit.
Make the crust
Add all purpose flour, baking powder, fine sea salt and ground cardamom to a small mixing bowl and whisk with a fork until combined.
In a medium bowl, use your hand mixer to beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about three minutes. Add egg and beat again until well blended. With your mixer on low, slowly beat in dry ingredients mixture, until fully blended. This soft dough will be like a sticky cookie dough. If you prefer, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for this dough.
Spread dough inside your pie pan. Cover the bottom of the pan and, if desired, the edges. If you’re having trouble spreading the dough, you can try covering it with a piece of plastic wrap and using your hands to spread it without directly touching it. Alternatively, cover your hand with a plastic sandwich bag.
Fit a piece aluminum foil inside crust. Use a big enough piece to leave some decent size handles. Prick a few times with a fork and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Place in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool while you prepare the filling: the crust will still be very soft.
Make the filling
In a large bowl, beat sour cream and sugar until well combined. Add egg and beat again until well blended & light. Beat in corn starch, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Filling will be a pourable consistency.
Remove pie weights from crust. Pour a thin layer of cream filling across the bottom of the crust. Spread blueberries evenly over crust, and then pour remaining filling over blueberries. Filling may not completely cover berries at this stage.
If you prefer, you can combine berries and filling before placing in the crust, especially if using fresh blueberries. I added them separately to the crust to minimize streaking-either way works!
Place pie in the oven and bake 25 minutes. Filling will still appear slightly jiggly. Remove and allow to cool partially at room temp, then place in the fridge to chill until completely cooled & set.
Slice and enjoy! This pie is delicious on its own, or with whipped cream!
Alternatives
When making the crust, 1/2 cup of flour can be swapped out for rye flour, for a more traditional Finnish pie, or whole wheat flour, if you like!
I’m also very curious how this pie would taste with a simple graham cracker crust, though I haven’t attempted this yet-next time!
Finnish Blueberry Pie (mustikkapiirakka)
Sugar cookie crust, tart blueberries, sweet cream filling that's lighter than cheesecake.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cool room temp
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cup (190 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- For the filling:
- 1 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream at room temp
- 1 egg at room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
- Make the crust: in a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together with an electric beater for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well.
- Slowly beat in flour mixture until well combined. Dough will resemble a sticky cookie dough.
- Scoop dough into a pie pan and spread over bottom and sides. If you're having trouble spreading the dough, place a piece of plastic wrap over the pan and use that to press the dough without directly touching it.
- Cover the crust dough with a piece of aluminum foil and press foil in to the shape of the crust. Prick a few times with a fork. Fill crust with dry beans or pie weights.
- Bake crust 10 minutes. It will still be very soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you make the filling.
- Make the filling: in a medium mixing bowl, use an electric beater to beat together sour cream and sugar until well combined and light.
- Add egg and beat well. Add vanilla, starch and lemon zest and beat until well combined. Filling will be a thick liquid consistency.
- Remove pie weights from crust. Pour a thin layer of cream filling over the bottom of the crust.
- Spread blueberries evenly over filling, and pour the rest of the filling over the berries.
- Bake pie for 25 minutes. Filling will still appear slightly jiggly, but not liquid. It will continue to set as it cools.
- Allow to cool partially at room temp, and then place in fridge to chill until fully set.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
1. If you prefer, you can mix blueberries directly into filling before placing inside crust. If you use frozen berries this way, you will notice a lot of purple streaking.
2. The pie weights serve to help the crust hold its shape. If you prefer to skip the pie weights, you can make this tart style by simply spreading the crust over the bottom of the pan. Prick it with a fork and pre-bake according to the instructions.
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Need another dessert? More Finnish cuisine?
What Should I Make Next?
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments! If you share on Instagram, please tag me at @sisuhomemaker. And I always love to hear from you- send questions, comments, concerns, etc to carol@sisuhomemaker.com!
Oh my goodness… delicious! I usually make blueberry breads but this looks so delicious… definitely going to try! Thank you
Yes, we’re going to bake this coming weekend! Looks delicious!