Summer Pie: Blueberry-Peach Schnapps Style

Sing with me, When I say "Colorado summer" you say… PEACHES!

Or, let's not sing and just head into The Kitchen. It is hot as an oven on Thanksgiving day, there is no sign of an afternoon thunderstorm to cool off the city and I have air-conditioning. Today is a great afternoon to blast the A/C and bake.

Plus, I haven't been around for a while and need to wear my apron again. Summer flies by with travels, pool days, getting things done because you can't do them during the school year and sleeping in. But, I miss drinking. Err, I miss baking and adding drinks to the recipes.

Which summer cocktails would you want to taste on your plate, too? 

still oozing hot blueberries after an hour in the oven

My wonderfully brilliant friend Kathleen is having a Pasta Party with her brand new pasta maker! Immediately I started to brainstorm. Pie? Summer cake? Cupcakes? To me, a berry pie is the essence of summer desserts. Plus, Colorado peaches are juicy, sweet, and in my budget.  Peaches are delicious and all, but I wanted to add the tangy and sweet taste of blueberries to the mix. Blueberries also do a great job in pies - and pies with alcohol.

Which brings me to my next ingredient: Peach Schnapps. I thought about Rum but I am averse to it after a few too many rum and cokes in college. That's a story for another day.




Let me tell you, the mixture of berries and Peach Schnapps smells like a summer sangria served while sitting on an outdoor patio overlooking a Caribbean ocean. Peach-a-licious!

Oh! I even made a batch of whipped cream. I can't wait to throw that on top of the vanilla- brown sugar crumble.

First order of business - STOP buying pie crust. If you do that, I will not eat when you invite me to your house. I can tell a pie crust from a factory-made pie shell. There is no reason to buy a pie shell. It takes 10 minutes, or less, to make one. Then, it hardens for 30 minutes in your fridge. Clean the dishes, take the pup for a walk and your pie crust is ready.

Pie Crust. for one pie crust
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick of unsalted butter, cut into slices, then quarter the slices
5-6 tablespoons ice water**

**I added vodka to my water. We are going to see what happens when my friends and I eat the pie…tonight.

1 - mix flour, sugar, and salt. Pinch the butter into the mixture with your fingers (or be cool and use a pastry blender). Pinch together until it looks like course meal. Stir in the 5 tablespoons of vodka water, just until moistened. If it is dry, add another tablespoon. If you live in Colorado - you will probably use a total of 6-7 tablespoons.

2- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead 3 times. That means fold. Pat into a 6-inch disk. About the size of salad plate. Wrap your disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Dough can be kept for 1 day in the fridge or 1 week frozen.
Thank you to Food & Wine for this fabulous crust, even though I modified. 

3 - Remove the plastic wrap (duh) and grab a rolling pin. Put some flour on that surface (again). Roll out the dough to fit into your pie dish. Make sure you have some overhang on your pie dish - that is the best part!



Every pie recipe says something different about baking the pie crust before adding the filling. I like to bake the crust for a little bit first. Why? Because the first time I ever made a pie crust, I baked it first. Everyone loves this pie crust, so why change what I do?

Place tin foil on top of the pie crust and lay pie crust weights or dry beans on the tin foil. Bake @ 325 in the center rack for 15-20 minutes. Take out the pie crust when it starts to golden up. Carefully remove the tin foil and pie weights. Let it cool, then fill her up.

The Blueberry Peach Schnapps Pie

Filling: 
1 carton blueberries
3 peaches
1 lemon, zested
juice from a lemon
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 c Peach Schnapps
1 tablespoon cinnamon (or nutmeg)
1/4 tsp salt

the crumble topping, before pinching

Crumble Topping: 
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
3-4 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 thin slices of butter, not melted

Let's Bake a Pie: 

1 - Preheat the oven to 375. Wash the blueberries and wash and cube the peaches. Zest your lemon

See the zest? Tear 'em into smaller pieces

2- Mix flour, sugar, salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add blueberries, peaches and lemon zest. Add the cinnamon. Add Peach Schnapps liberally. Think of when you see a bartender pour a drink then triple that! 


3- Mix all ingredients. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes to allow the berry juices to ooze out and mix together.

blueberries, peach cubes, lemon zest soak in Peach Schnapps

4- Right before you add the filling into the pie crust, make the crumble topping. Mix flour, sugars and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted and slightly cooled butter. Pinch the mixture together with your fingers.

5- Pour the filling into the pie crust. Add the butter slices on top of the filling. Crumble the topping all over the pie.

6- Place the pie in the center rack. Bakes for about 1 hour. Set the timer for 40 minutes to check. If the crust and crumble is already browning, reduce the temperature and let it warm the filling for another 20 minutes in the oven.

The Whipped Cream Topping

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 c sour cream
3-4 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract OR Peach Schnapps
4 teaspoons powdered sugar






This slightly thick but light whipped cream is the BEST I have ever made. It was whipped, creamy, more savory than sweet and all with a Peach Schnapps kick at the end.





Maybe the method of making the whipped cream helped. Usually, I enlist the blender. Today, I saw potential in my favorite kitchen appliance. My mom sent this to me in the mail so when I read the side of the box, I thought she sent me a …. What would you think?

Make the Whipped Cream:

1- Combine just until mixed: heavy cream, sour cream, and powdered sugar. Let the Magic Bullet do its magic for about 15-20 seconds. You'll see the consistency transform into a thicker cream. Check it out. Add the vanilla/almond/Peach Schnapps for a few more seconds.

2- Set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Serve!