Blue Ribbon Group Best Cream Pie Winner: Blackberry Mojito Cream Pie
1st Place, 2022 Minnesota State Fair
This Blackberry Mojito Cream Pie won our best cream pie contest at the 2022 Minnesota State Fair. The award-winning pie combines a luscious key lime filling with a blackberry mint purée you swirl on top.
There’s a classic graham cracker crust at the bottom and homemade whipped cream on top. You finish this beauty with fresh blackberries and fresh mint as your garnishes. It makes for a striking presentation.
Blackberry Mojito Cream Pie
“Exceptional” was how the deciding judge described this creative key lime pie. And each slice is gorgeous.
Melinda Chapel is the pie’s creator. She was bursting with pride upon learning she won.
Melinda says you can make the pie with fresh or frozen blackberries. We used fresh in our trial and loved the results. You’ll want to make the fruit purée in advance. You could also pre-make the graham cracker crust.
You muddle fresh mint leaves for the blackberry purée. Mint is also featured in the filling, which you make with fresh key lime juice steeped in mint leaves. Sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks do the magic of sweetening and setting the filling. The result is nothing short of perfection.
Run, don’t walk, to the grocery store for this winning recipe’s ingredients. And if you’re looking for more Minnesota State Fair winning creations, use the search option and enter “Minnesota,” from any page on our blog. The MN Blackout Cake has been especially popular.
-Cyndi
Blackberry Mojito Cream Pie
Blackberry Purée:
6 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries
1/4 quarter cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 11 full sheet graham crackers, crushed into fine crumbs)
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Lime Filling:
1 cup Key lime juice
3/4 cup fresh mint leaves
2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk (not fat free or low fat)
4 large egg yolks
Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Make the blackberry purée: Add the sugar and mint to a saucepan and muddle together with the handle of a wooden spoon. Add the blackberries and cook over med-low heat until berries become soft and juicy and break apart easily. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and strain out the seeds and mint leaves. Be sure to press as much juice and pulp out of the fruit as you can. Pour the blackberry purée back in the sauce pan and heat on medium. Make a slurry by whisking the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Once the fruit purée starts to simmer, add the slurry and whisk until thickened. Remove from heat immediately, pour the purée into bowl and cover for 4 hours to overnight.
Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a food processor, pulse the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Measure out 1 1/2 cups into a bowl, add the sugar and stir together. Add the melted butter and stir until combined. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure, using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact, even crust. Pre-bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Make the filling: Measure the lime juice into a measuring cup, add the mint leaves, and muddle together. Let the juice sit while the crust cools, about an hour. After an hour, strain the mint leaves out of the juice. In a large bowl, whisk the sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks together. Slowly pour in the juice and whisk until fully incorporated.
Assemble the pie: Pour the lime filing pour into the cooled crust. Add dollops of blackberry purée and gently swirl into the filing. Bake pie for 17 to 20 minutes, until only slightly jiggly in the center. You want it mostly set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Make the whipped cream: With an electric mixer, whisk the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until cream is thick and billowy (should hold a stiff peak on the whisk). Put the whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe a decorative border around the cooled pie. Garnish with fresh berries in mint leaves, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one week.
