Red Ribbon Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie!
This year I entered TWO pies in the Fall Festival Pie Contest! The first was a Fig & Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie inspired by the book series “Pie-Jinks” by Selina J. Eckart, and the other was a unique chocolate “countertop pie.” Since the contest does not allow any eggs or dairy, I got creative and made up a new “no refrigeration needed” pie called the Nutty Chocolate Merlot Pie. That chocolate pie did not do well in the contest, the judges HATED it! But my Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie won a second-place ribbon!
“Pie-Jinks”
I had been pondering pie for months in anticipation of the annual fall fest pie contest, and looking for a new cozy read. In a Facebook group, I was introduced to Selina J. Eckart‘s fall cozy magical mysteries Pie-Jinks series. I started with Book 1, Vanilla Bean Vampire and I loved it! If you’re looking to cozy up with a warm blanket, a pumpkin-spiced latte, perhaps a nice piece of pie, and a cute cozy book, check out Pie-Jinks!
Reese, a “Pie Witch” bakes and sells magical pies! She made a Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie that she entered in her local Fall Festival Pie Contest that sounded so good that it inspired me to add pumpkin spice to my Figgy Blueberry Pie!
Folks in Reece’s cozy small town of Cider Hollow started disappearing and coming back days later with no memory of their missing time. Even her pie delivery boy disappeared, and her vampire friend was also acting weird. She decided to get to the bottom of the disappearances, along with her Fae Autumn prince! This cozy series could definitely be a Fall Hallmark Channel special.
Jump to Recipe
The Prequel
The Pie-Jinks books came after a two-book series called Seasons of Magic: Pumpkin & Shades. Pumpkin Spice Pie-Jinks is the prequel to the Pie-Jinks series. It’s a short “meet-cute” story where Reece met her handsome Fae Prince, Forrest, of the Autumn Court. Forrest held the Fall Pie Contest and sent two mischievous autumn sprites to help her, and hijinks ensued! (or Pie-Jinks!) If you plan to read the series, I recommend that you start with the meet cute, Pumpkin Spice Pie-Jinks first for the back story.
Mocha Brewed Monsters, the fourth in the series came out on Halloween! I pre-ordered it because I KNEW I’d be ready for another cozy Pie-Jinks story after all the pie-making! If you love cozy magical mysteries, you’ll love Pie-Jinks! I finished the prequel and all three books in a week, and I’m anxious to start reading Book 4!
Nutty Chocolate Merlot Pie = Pie Fail
The pie contest rules dictated that all pies had to be countertop pies. Therefore, I took the challenge to come up with something unique! Years ago I made Chocolate Wine Balls for the holidays. They are super sweet, nutty, and delicious, and I figured I could modify the recipe and make it into a pie filling. We thought my test pie was delicious! I called it the Nutty Chocolate Merlot Pie! (Thanks to Author Selina Eckart for helping me name it!) Although the judges thought it looked pretty, they HATED the flavor. Like, really, really hated it. Lesson learned, stick to fruit pies! Maybe I’ll share the original candy recipe for the wine balls this holiday season!
Red Ribbon Pumpkin Spiced Pie – Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie
My fruit pie contestant was a fig and blueberry pie with pumpkin spice! Pete, my neighbor grows the most amazing figs in his backyard and kindly gives me lots of juicy sweet figs in the early fall. My husband’s boss also contributed to my pie figs! Luckily, after freezing them in small batches for a few weeks, I had enough to make pies! Pete says it would have been better if it didn’t have blueberries in it!
I used some secret ingredients in my pie crust. I’m working on a recipe post! In the meantime, here is my award winning Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie recipe!
“Red Ribbon” Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch pie pan I use these heavy duty disposable tins for pie contests
- rolling pin
- pie crust shield optional, can use foil
- large bowl
- parchment paper or non-stick foil
- pastry wheel or pizza cutter/knife
Ingredients
Pie Crust – Double crust like this one from King Arthur, or use frozen 9" crusts.
- 1 tbsp sugar Optional
- 1 egg Whisked with 2tbsp cream, milk or water
Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spice Pie Filling
- 12 figs *Fresh small to medium-sized figs, quartered/halved and frozen.
- 16 oz blueberries Washed and patted dry.
- 6 tbsp flour
- ½ cup sugar Add 2-3 tbsp if the blueberries are tart
- ¼ tsp scant pinch of salt
- 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice Use 4 tsp for a less subtle spiced flavor!
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- 3 tbsp butter Divided, 1½ tbsp melted
- 1 tbsp lemon juice About 1tbsp. Fresh squeezed
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
Prepare the Figs
- Wash and pat dry and cut in halves or quarters. Spread them on a parchment-lined sheet and freeze at least 30 minutes.
Prepare Pie Crust
- For fresh crust, roll out and place the bottom crust in a 9" pie pan and poke holes all over the sides and bottom. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425° F
Prepare Blueberry Fig Filling
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, spice, and a small pinch of salt. Add the blueberries and stir gently with a slotted spoon until all the berries are coated.
- Add the frozen figs and stir.
- Melt 1½ tbsp butter, add 1 tbsp lemon juice, and water. Use a slotted spoon and stir the liquid mixture until all the blueberries and figs are coated.
- Sort out the figs from the blueberries and add the figs to the bottom of the pie crust, skin side down.
- Top the figs with the blueberry mixture, including all the sugary mixture at the bottom of the bowl.
- Dot the top of the pie with the remaining butter and place the pie in the freezer or refrigerator until you have rolled out the top crust.
- Beat an egg with 1 – 2 tbsp water, milk or cream.
- Roll out the top crust to a 10-12 inches circle and either create a lattice with strips or use a mini cookie cutter and cut small holes or a decoration in the crust.
- Brush egg wash on the edges of the pie crust to help secure the top crust. Lay the top crust over the pie or weave the strips into a lattice. Trim off excess crust. Use a fork to crimp or useor your fingers.
- Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle sugar over the top.
- Gently place a pie shield over the crust to keep the edges from over-browning or cover the edges with strips of foil.
- Bake the pie at 425° for 15 minutes. Check halfway through and rotate for even browning if necessary.
- Reduce the heat to 375° and continue baking the pie.*Keep an eye on it throughout baking to see if the filling is bubbling. Bake until the filling is bubbling and check under the pie shield to see if it needs additional browning. If it does, remove the pie shield and foil and bake until it is golden brown. Bake it for about 40-50 minutes.
- Once the filling is bubbling nicely, and the crust is golden brown, it's done.If you only see a few bubbles, allow it to cook longer so you don't have a runny pie. For a thicker filling, bake until it bubbles closer to the center of the pie.
- Remove the pie and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for at least two hours.
Notes
Nutrition
If you love book-inspired recipes, try my Bacon Peanut Butter Banana Cookies, or Sriracha Candied Bacon!
Two pies were way too stressful for me. I’m sticking to ONE pie next year!
