Blackberry Chocolate Pie

A traditional blackberry pie is delicious! Especially when I can pick the berries and make the pie the same day, which is possible right now. But I came across a recipe in Better Homes & Gardens for a Blueberry Chocolate Pie that inspired me...adding chocolate to anything is almost always a good idea! But I like blackberries better than blueberries -- and have ready access to them growing wild. The ingredients below for the crust are borrowed straight from BHG (as is their suggestion for a 'star topped pie' -- I think this was in their July issie). The rest is my own modification of a precooked blackberry pie filling...

Ingredients - Crust + Chocolate
½ C butter, softened
½ C sugar
½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
dash salt
1 egg yolk
¼ C sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1 C semisweet chocolate pieces
coarse sugar (turbinado, demerara, sanding sugar...)

Directions - Crust + Chocolate
Whip butter 30 seconds; add sugar and cream together. Add baking powder, baking soda and salt; beat until combined. Add egg yolk, sour cream and vanilla; beat until combined. Stir in flour.

Divide dough in half. wrap and chill until easy to handle (1 hour).

Preheate oven to 450° F. Roll half dough on floured surface to 12" circle. Line 9" pie plate with dough; trim and flute edges as desired. Dock; line with foil (to prevent overbrowning). Bake 8 minutes; remove foil, bake 3-4 more minutes until golden. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate pieces over bottom of crust. If desired, once melted, spread into an even layer.

Reduce oven to 375° F. Roll remaining dough to 1/8" thickness (I like mine a little thicker). Cut into star shapes (or whatever shape inspires you!); arrange on parchment lined baking sheet. In a small bowl beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush cuttouts with egg mixture, sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes or util edges are lightly browned.

Ingredients - Blackberry Filling
½ C sugar
3 T flour
¼ C lemon juice
6 C blackberries1 tsp vanilla

Directions - Blackberry Filling
In large saucepan, stir together sugar, flour and lemon juice. Add 4 C of the berries. Cook over medium heat, stirring gently, until bubbly and thickened. (If it's not thickening much, sprinkle in another tablespoon of flour; some berries are juicier than others.) Remove from heat. Gently stir in remaining berries. Spoon or pour into prepared crust.

Bake 18-20 minutes. Cover edges of pie crust with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning. Remove from oven; immediately, gently press star cutouts onto top of pie. Cool completely.