This vintage recipe is for Blueberry Pie with an Oil Crust.  As a matter of fact, it was handed down to me by my former mother-in-law in 1982.  Without a doubt, she was a great cook and she explained to me that the beauty of the oil crust is that it doesn’t require butter or lard.  She preferred Mazzola Oil, but any kind of light-tasting cooking oil will do. 

Vintage Recipe for Blueberry Pie with Oil Crust

Oil Pie Crust Recipe

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup flour
• 1.5 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Mazzola oil
• 2 tbsp cold milk

Method

Mix dry ingredients in a 9” pie plate.

Put milk and oil in a measuring cup and mix.

Use a fork to combine wet and dry ingredients in the pie plate.*

*Grandma says, “With your hands, spread the mixture up the sides of the pie plate and throughout.  Flute edge of the pie shell. Also, this pie crust will not make a double-crusted pie!”

Now on to the blueberry pie filling.

Preheat oven to 425.

Ingredients

• 2 pints blueberries, rinsed and checked for stems
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 big, heaping tablespoon of flour
• Cinnamon to taste
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Method

Place cleaned blueberries in the pie shell.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add heavy cream to dry mixture and pour over blueberries.

Baking time for Blueberry Pie with Oil Crust.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes with foil covering the edge of the crust.

Reduce heat to 375 for 30 minutes removing the foil for the final 10 minutes.*

*I found it needed 10-12 more minutes in my oven. You’ll know when it’s done, just look for the bubbling berries.

Nutritional Information

According to my scribbles on the original recipe, I messed around with the blueberry filling ingredients a bit. For example, I rebelled against using heavy cream and tried different combinations of skim milk and light cream to get the fat and calories down. Eventually, I declared in a note to myself that all skim milk is okay. In addition, I used less than 1/2 cup of sugar rather than 3/4 cup.

But even so, I made no such adjustments today.

Now the taste test.

I didn’t have to look far for a volunteer. That’s because my daughter remembers this dessert from her childhood. So, we cut into the warm pie and, oh, my, as my old Pa used to say, “Some good!” Not only does this pie have a rich, creamy blueberry flavor, but also a crust that tastes like shortbread.

The recipe is simple and comes together quickly. In fact, the only possible trouble spot might be the oil crust. It’s different from other pie crusts and cannot be rolled out. You have to mess around with it in the pie plate until it holds together. Additionally, it’s a good idea to start with the sides and then spread the rest around to cover the bottom. It’s for sure, the process takes a little getting used to. However, it’s totally worth the effort.

Some blueberry pie with oil crust is just what you need for a pick-me-up if you’re feeling down.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. Thanks, Grandma, another winner.

For another vintage recipe, try this Dance Safari post, “No Mixer Banana Bread Recipe Circa 1986“.