Mustikkapiirakka (Finnish Blueberry Pie)

About This Recipe

Mustikkapiirakka is the definitive Finnish summer dessert, made with the small, intensely flavored wild blueberries (mustikka) that grow abundantly across Finland's forests. Finnish wild blueberries are smaller and more flavorful than cultivated varieties, with a deep purple flesh that stains everything a vivid blue-violet. The pie itself is straightforward — a buttery, shortbread-like crust filled with barely sweetened berries and topped with a sour cream or quark custard that sets into a creamy layer. Every Finnish family has a version of this recipe, picked from their own forest patch and baked the same afternoon.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 200 gall-purpose flour
• 100 gcold butter, diced
• 50 gsugar
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 1 largeegg
• 1 pinchsalt
• 500 gfresh or frozen wild blueberries
• 2 tbspsugar (for berries)
• 2 tbsppotato starch or cornstarch
• 200 mlsour cream or Finnish quark (rahka)
• 1 largeegg (for topping)
• 50 gsugar (for topping)
• 1 tspvanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the crust

   Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix until the dough just comes together — do not overwork. Press evenly into the base and up the sides of a 24 cm round tart tin or springform pan.

2. 2

   Prepare the blueberries

   Toss the blueberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and the potato starch. This thickens the juices slightly as it bakes and prevents the pie from being too wet.

3. 3

   Make the sour cream topping

   Whisk together the sour cream (or quark), egg, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

4. 4

   Assemble

   Spread the blueberries evenly over the crust. Pour the sour cream mixture over the blueberries, spreading it gently.

5. 5

   Bake

   Preheat oven to 200°C. Bake for 35–40 minutes until the topping is set and lightly golden and the edges of the crust are golden brown. A slight wobble in the center is fine — it will set as it cools.

6. 6

   Cool and serve

   Allow the pie to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Variations

• •

  Lingonberry version: use lingonberries with a little more sugar as they are more tart.

• •

  Cloudberry topping: replace the sour cream custard with fresh cloudberries before serving.

• •

  Crumble topping: replace the sour cream topping with a buttery oat crumble.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Store covered at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Best eaten the day of baking. Does not freeze well.

Frequently Asked Questions