When we opened our advent activity envelope this morning, it read, “build a snow fort.”  There is no snow with which to build a fort, but I was planning on baking a berry pie for my brother’s birthday dinner.  So the kiddos and I worked in the kitchen together.  The grower even joined in, playing in the kiddo kitchen (his latest favorite activity), and later sitting in a drawer with kitchen tools.

For the crust:
2 c spelt flour (you could use a gf flour mix or whole wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
1/3 c almond milk
2/3 c coconut oil

Blend dry ingredients first, then add milk & oil. Roll out crust between parchment paper (or plastic wrap…as I had none). Sometimes I just push it into the pie pan with my fingers…when rolling is hard.  Bake crust at 425 for 11-13 minutes.

Berry Filling:
2 c strawberries
2 c blackberries
1 1/2 c blueberries
1/4 c turbinado (raw) sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbs lemon juice

1. In a food processor, puree 3/4 c of the strawberries and 3/4 c blackberries, and half a c of the blueberries.

2. Over medium heat, warm the sugar, salt, and puree mixture. Slowly add cornstarch (I’m never the best with lumps and cornstarch). Bring the sauce to a boil and continue stirring for about 5-7 minutes, or until thick like a pudding. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool slightly.

3. Pour the slightly cooled sauce into the cooled crust.  Press remaining berries into the sauce.  Cover and allow to set in the fridge for 3 hours.

4. We took the remaining crust and used a star cookie cutter to partially cover the berries.  Cook 12-13 minutes at 425 in a brown bag (for perfect pie crusts that aren’t burned, my friend taught me to bake pies in a brown grocery bag.  Works perfectly every time!).  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.