Snow White Gooseberry Pie

Delightfully sweet, tangy, and fruity Gooseberry Pie inspired from Disney’s popular Snow White movie. This otherworldly double-crust pie here has the best pie filling ever that you’d find yourself eating slice after slice. Serve this pie hot or cold with custard or ice cream topping. Yum!

If you’ve enjoyed my famous Princess Tiana’s Beignets from Princess and the Frog, you’ll also fall head over heels with this easy pie recipe from the first Disney princess – Snow White.

In case you need me to remind you of that scene, it was that part where Snow White convinces her dwarf friends that she should let her stay in their cottage.

Apparently, this princess can cook all kinds of food, but when she mentioned gooseberry pie, Grumpy finally gave the nod. 

I can see why this has been Grumpy’s favorite pie. And I’ll make sure that you will also love this gooseberry recipe, too, as much as Grumpy did.

WHAT IS A GOOSEBERRY?

You very rarely hear people talk about gooseberries much these days, which I think is a real shame. They seem to have an old, otherworldly feel to them like you’d only find them in a fairy tale.

Gooseberries are indigenous to much of Europe and have been loved for centuries, which is why they have that fairy tale aura I’d imagine. 

Oddly, they have fallen out of fashion completely these days even though they actually keep better than most other soft fruits.

They are incredibly tart if picked early in the season, which makes them perfect for pies as they need sweetening to temper the sour.

If you pick them when they are ripe, however, later in July, they are so juicy and sweet.

GOOSEBERRY TYPES

Gooseberries are rare to find these days. 

These fruits are usually picked before they are even fully ripe to increase their shelf life.

Gooseberry plants grow well in humid summers and cold winters. Probably this is the best reason why they aren’t widely cultivated.

There are two main types of gooseberry:

American gooseberries – native to the northeastern part of the U.S. This gooseberry type grows smaller berries and has an inferior taste compared to its European counterpart.

European gooseberries – this type is actually native to North Africa and the Caucasus Mountains.

Unlike the American ones, this type of gooseberry actually bears larger fruits and is more flavorful. They are about the size of small plums and can be white, yellow, red, and purple shades.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Now that we finally have the idea about our star of the show, let’s get down to business and learn how to make gooseberry pie from Disney’s movie Snow White.

All you need are the following…

PIE CRUST

  • All-purpose flour – the over versatile flour which works great for our double crusted pie
  • Salt – adds flavor for our crust (or sugar, if you want) that complements with our gooseberry pie filling
  • Butter – helps create that distinct buttery flaky crust; take note that you have to use cold butter for our crust. Warm or melted butter would just make our pastry greasy.
  • Ice Water – prevents the fat from our cold butter from melting; if the butter melts before it gets even baked, then we won’t be able to achieve a flaky pie crust.

GOOSEBERRY PIE FILLING

  • Gooseberries – the star of this recipe. I use green gooseberries in this case which are more sour than the red or purple ones. They go perfectly for this pie as we want that sweet and sour or tart flavors in every bite.
  • Water – gooseberries will release their natural juices as the pie bakes, so we need to add water to prevent the pie from drying out.
  • Brown sugar – as gooseberries are sour, the sugar sweetens up our gooseberry pie. You’ll love the perfect blend of sweet and tart flavors in this easy pie recipe.
  • Butter – enriches the flavor and texture of our pie filling.
  • Vanilla extract – anything is better with a drop of vanilla extract for that added sweet aroma and flavor.
  • Salt – enhances flavor and prevents the sweetness from being overwhelming
  • Lemon juice – for that tart and acidic flavor; gooseberries are already sour but the lemon juice just amps it up perfectly.
  • Lemon zest adds more flavor to the pie.
  • Flour – helps thicken our filling a bit so it won’t make our crust soggy.

How to make the gooseberry crust

Gooseberry Pie is one of those pies that you don’t see very often these days, which is a shame because they are absolutely delicious. Gooseberries have been loved for centuries and have an otherworldly feel to them, like something you would only find in a fairy tale.

Start by preheating your oven. Next, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl then cut in the butter using a pastry blender or a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add enough ice water, one tablespoon at a time while stirring gently with a fork just until the dough comes together.

Divide the dough into two balls then flatten each into a disk. 

How to make the gooseberry pie filling

Add the gooseberries and water to a medium pan and bring it to a simmer. Then add the sugar, butter, vanilla, flour, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest and cook until thickened.

Pour the gooseberry mix into your pie crust. Then, roll out the rest of the pie crust until it is ⅛” thick and about 10” wide in diameter.

Lay the pie crust over the pie filling. Sprinkle the crust with a little extra sugar and then place the pie in the oven to bake.

How to decorate the Grumpy Gooseberry Pie

If you want to make the exact same gooseberry pie decoration that Snow white did for Grumpy, you need to make a little bit more of my dough in addition to my dough measurements.

This means you need to add:

0.5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp Butter cold and diced
1.5 tablespoons ice water

This will allow you to write Grumpy on top of your pie with no limitations!

Direction for the Grumpy Letters

Follow all the steps of the pie recipe until you cover the pie filling with the pie crust on top. Then, start mixing the 3 ingredients to create a mini pie crust. Carefully form the letters with your hands and place them on top of the crust to create the perfect grumpy pie!

Tips for the perfect Grumpy Pie Lettering

To form the letters, take a little piece of dough at a time and roll it to a thin snake and start shaping the G, make a large oval shape

for the R, make an S shape but with a more defined turn at the top

for the U, make a U shape

for the M, start with two lines next to each other and then connect them at the bottom

for the P, start with two small circles next to each other and the Y, start with a V shape and then make a second V going the other way on top of the first one.

ALTERNATIVE INGREDIENTS

  1. If you can’t find gooseberries in your grocery stores, feel free to replace them with blackberries.
  2. You may replace orange juice with orange zest.
  3. Swap flour with arrowroot starch or cornstarch as a thickener for our pie filling.
  4. If you’re pressed for time, you can always use the store-bought pie crust. Puff pastry also works great as well for pies.

Gooseberry Pie Can Be Served With

Ice cream: ice cream is sweet and flavorful, it pairs well with the tart Gooseberry Pie.

Custard: Gooseberry Pie is also excellent with custard The smooth and creamy texture of the custard goes so well with the flaky crust and tart filling.

Vanilla sauce: Another great option to top your Gooseberry Pie is vanilla sauce. The sweetness of the sauce will balance out the tartness of the pie perfectly.

Cream: fresh cream, whipped cream, or double cream all work great and are pretty classic toppings for Gooseberry pie.

Frozen Yogurt: is a great option if you are looking for something lighter. It’s still got that creamy texture but isn’t as heavy as ice cream or custard.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT DO GOOSEBERRIES TASTE LIKE?

Gooseberries are berries that are sour or tart when unripe (green) and turn sweet and fruity as they ripen up (red or purple).

WHAT DOES GOOSEBERRY PIE TASTE LIKE?

Our Snow White’s Gooseberry Pie recipe is a perfect combination of sweet and tart flavors from our filling and that sumptuous rich buttery taste from our pie crust.

CAN YOU FREEZE GOOSEBERRY PIES?

Oh yes! Fruit pies can either be frozen both unbaked or baked.

To freeze unbaked fruit pie, assemble them (but don’t apply the egg wash), and freeze uncovered until firm.

Once they’re hard to touch, double wrap them with a plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 4 months.

As for baked fruit pie, bake them as directed. Let it cool completely before wrapping and freezing them.

When ready to serve, simply thaw at room temperature. You can serve it at this point or reheat it in a preheated oven at 425°F / 220 °C for about 15 minutes or until warm enough.

MORE BAKED RECIPES LIKE THIS

Snow White Gooseberry Pie with a slice cut out of it.

Snow White Gooseberry Pie

Keesha
Delightfully sweet, tangy, and fruity Gooseberry Pie inspired by Disney’s popular Snow White movie. This otherworldly double crust pie has the most delicious filling ever. Trust me, you’ll find yourself eating slice after slice!
5 from 23 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Hollywood
Servings 8
Calories 250 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

FOR THE PIE CRUST:

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ¾ cup Butter cold and diced
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • 6 tablespoons Water iced

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 3 cups Gooseberries fresh or frozen
  • 1/3 cup Water
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Tbsp Flour
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Lemon Zest

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 425°F / 220 °C.
  • Start by making the pie crust. In a large bowl, blend the flour, butter and salt together until the butter resembles small, coarse crumbles.
  • Slowly add the water to the mix and blend with your hands, kneading the mix into a smooth dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. If the dough seems too firm, add a tablespoon more water.
  • Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut it into two equal pieces. Set one dough ball aside.
  • Roll out one section of the dough into a 12” round circle, about ⅛ of an inch thick. Place the dough circle in a 9 inch pie pan and press the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
  • Roll out one section of the dough into a 12” round circle, about ⅛ of an inch thick. Place the dough circle in a 9 inch pie pan and press the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
  • Place the gooseberries and water in a pot and bring to a simmer over low – medium heat. Cook for approx. 5 minutes and then add the sugar, butter, vanilla, flour, salt, and lemon zest. Stir and continue to simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes, until your pie filling has thickened.
  • Pour the gooseberry mix into your pie crust.
  • Roll out the rest of your pie crust until it is ⅛” thick and at least 12 inch wide. Cut the pie crust into ¾-inch to 1 inch wide strips, lay 5 – 6 strips in the same direction across your pie, with even gaps between strips. Alternatively, you can do it the classic way and just lay the entire pie crust over the pie filling and cut steam vents into the top.
  • Sprinkle the crust with a little extra sugar, cover the pie with aluminum foil, and then place the pie in the preheated oven to bake for 20 minutes.
  • Reduce the temperature to 350°F / 175°C.
  • Remove the foil and bake the pie for another 25 – 35 minutes. Cover it up again in case the pie crust or the lettering starts to burn.
  • Remove the pie from the oven and let cool, then slice and serve. Stores well in the fridge.

Notes

  • If you can’t find gooseberries in your grocery stores, feel free to replace them with blackberries.
  • You may replace orange juice with orange zest.
  • Swap flour with arrowroot starch or cornstarch as a thickener for our pie filling.
  • If you’re pressed for time, you can always use the store-bought pie crust. Puff pastry also works great for pies.
  • Serving suggestions:
    o Whipped cream
    o Vanilla ice cream
    o Sweetened yogurt

Nutrition

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 4gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 1385mgPotassium: 169mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 754IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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5 from 23 votes (23 ratings without comment)

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