Cherry Berry Biscuit Pie – it may sound adorable, but it tastes like sin – in a nice way. This is the recipe you make for someone when you want to say, “I really love you”, or “I’m sorry I was such a mean cow”, or “wouldn’t a pair of diamond earrings look great on me?”… You know exactly what I mean- it’s just that good. I can’t remember the first time I made this dessert. It was something thrown together based on what was in the fridge, most likely on a day when my guys were both craving something sweet. I do know that it was an immediate hit. And I also remember that this new dessert didn’t really have a name, so I was surprised a few days later when my son asked for that “cherry berry biscuit stuff” again.
There is a saying in our house that does not really shed a flattering light on my cooking. When I “create” a new dish, Sammy always says, “don’t like it too much, you’ll never get it again.” That’s because I hardly ever measure anything and I experiment with recipes all the time until I get what I want. I also forget about certain dishes for ages and then decide to re-invent them all over again. Cherry Berry Biscuit Pie is one recipe that’s never had a chance to be forgotten or re-invented. It has hardly changed at all over the years because the recipe is so basic and so easy to make, even I admit, why mess with that! I guess you could use any combination of fruit, but we always have cherries in the freezer so I can pretend they’re little popsicles when attempting to eat in a more healthful manner. (This is where you notice that I’ve turned my healthy snack into a pie.)
Here’s a confession- sometimes we have Cherry Berry Biscuit Pie for dinner. It’s not news that my husband would always rather eat dessert than dinner so I guess this admission of guilt shouldn’t surprise anyone. I’ve tried for years to convince myself that because it has a lot of fruit, it’s just a glorified salad. (It’s not.) I’ve gone so far as to suggest that it’s a casserole because I bake it in my Grandmom’s iron skillet. (It’s not.) But it is the recipe you want to add to your list of favorite desserts. It’s always perfect; everyone loves it and – well, isn’t it just kind of fun to say, “Tonight I’m making Cherry Berry Biscuit Pie”? Give it a shot!
Ingredients
- Filling
2 cups frozen pitted cherries
4 cups berries – raspberries and blueberries are good, also blackberries (fresh or frozen depending on the season)
½ cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter cut in small pieces
1/3 cup orange juice
- Biscuits
2 cup self-rising flour
1 Tbsp sugar (plus a bit more for sprinkling biscuits)
Optional: Zest of one lemon
1 stick cold butter cut in 8 pieces
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup cream (save 1 Tbsp to brush biscuits)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray an iron skillet or similar size baking dish with cooking spray.
Make filling: In a large bowl combine fruit, sugar, flour, orange juice and liqueur (if using).
Pour into prepared skillet and top with bits of butter.
Make biscuits: Combine flour, sugar, and lemon zest (if using) in a food processor and pulse to combine.
Add butter and pulse until butter is incorporated.
Add buttermilk and cream and process until just combined.
Roll out dough on a floured surface to about ½ inch thickness and cut as many biscuits as possible, re-rolling dough scrapes as necessary.
Nestle biscuits in fruit filling. Brush with 1 Tbsp cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes until biscuits are browned and fruit is bubbly.
Top with ice cream if you want to.
Hope for leftovers – yummy breakfast!
