Raspberry Pretzel Pie + Whipped Mascarpone Topping

Welcome back to QCK!

Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite pie recipes, raspberry pretzel pie. If you’ve ever been to Osseo, Wisconsin, you might know about Norske Nook, a Scandinavian cafe best known for their pies. As kids, we used to take a family camping trip to Osseo every summer and each trip ended in a slice of Raspberry Sour Cream pie. We don’t go on those trips anymore, but this week I was feeling nostalgic and decided to recreate the pie, with my own twists.

So, the difference between this pie and the Norske Nook pie are the pretzel-graham cracker crust and the mascarpone whipped topping instead of sour cream. I love the pretzel-graham crust because it balances out all the sweetness of the raspberries with a little bit of salty. The mascarpone whip is perfectly light and fluffy, I love the sour cream topping at Norske Nook as well, but I think mascarpone pairs so well with berries that I couldn’t bring myself to pass it up. That being said, you can easily substitute graham crackers for pretzels and sour cream for mascarpone to recreate the original pie.

All in all, this pie is a perfect summer treat. It’s a refrigerated pie, so it’s a nice, cool treat to end a hot day, but it’s also really light. I love the filling because it’s not one of those heavy, syrupy fruit fillings. The berries are just slightly sweetened and mixed with a little bit of corn starch to hold everything together. The crust is a really nice, light alternative to traditional pie crust and it’s not as sweet as a traditional graham cracker crust. The mascarpone whip has a really nice, fluffy texture that brings everything together. And of course, this recipe is great as berry season is coming to an end!

Substitutions and Add Ons

• Raspberries can be swapped for any berries you like, blackberries would be delicious here.
• Pretzels can be replaced with graham crackers.
• Graham Crackers can alternatively be replaced with pretzels, for an all pretzel crust.
• Mascarpone can be omitted if you just want a traditional whipped cream, or replaced with cream cheese or sour cream.
• You can also add other berries, crumbled pretzels for topping, a raspberry swirl for topping, ice cream for topping.

Recipe

Prep: 30 Mins

Bake: 35 Mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C Pretzels
• 1 Pack Graham Crackers
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar, packed
• 1/2 C Unsalted Butter, Melted
• 2 lbs (32 oz) Fresh Raspberries, washed
• 2 Tbsp Corn Starch
• 1/4 C Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• 1 C Mascarpone
• 1 C Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1/2 C Powdered Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a food processor with the S-shaped metal blade, pulse pretzels, graham crackers and brown sugar until fully crumbled.
3. Turn food processor fully on and slowly drizzle in melted butter. The mixture should look similar to sand and form together when pressed.
4. Pour the mixture into a pie plate and firmly press an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the plate.
5. Place in oven and bake 12-15 minutes.
6. In a medium mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon, combine raspberries, corn starch, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir just so all the berries are coated. Taste to make sure the berries are sweet or tart enough for your liking.
7. Using the end of the spoon, gently smash the berries. Some should be whole, some should be in pieces and some should be fully smashed for the best texture.
8. Set aside until pie crust is done.
9. Remove the pie crust from the oven and leave 10-15 minutes to cool slightly.
10. Place berry mixture in the pie crust and spread into an even layer.
11. Place the pie in the oven for another 20 minutes or until crust beings to brown around the edges and berries take a jelly-like form.
12. Remove from oven and cool completely.
13. In the meantime, make the mascarpone whip by adding mascarpone, heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to a medium bowl, be sure the mascarpone and heavy cream are very cold, or the won’t whip. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attatchment, whip the mixture on high until a stiff, sturdy whipped cream forms.
14. Once pie is completely cooled, spread an even layer of the mascarpone whip on top and leave refrigerated until ready to serve.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you tried it out let me know in the comments. For more recipes check out my homepage and follow along on Instagram. Don’t forget to like, follow, comment and share. Thanks for reading! 

In honor of Fourth of July weekend, here are some ways you can help the immigrants in ICE Detention Centers. We cannot forget that The United States was built on immigration, and the idea of liberty and justice for ALL. Immigrant rights are human rights.

A petition to demand ICE stop spraying detainees with the extremely harmful HDQ Neutral 100. The chemical is being sprayed on detainees multiple times daily in an unventilated space causing sever bloody noses, difficulty breathing, fainting and more.

If you speak or sign another language, volunteer to be an immigration court interpreter.

If you’re a lawyer, offer pro-bono services.

Call and email your state and local representatives and demand families not be separated and better treatment for immigrants in detention centers.

Educate yourself and share what you learn with friends and family.

Find ways to sustainably support immigrants in your community.

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