Junkberry Pie

Recipe from Royers Round Top Cafe

Adapted by Melissa Knific

Updated October 30, 2024

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
5½ hours
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 20 minutes, plus 4 hours’ cooling
Rating
4(190)
Comments
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Underneath a firm, thick layer of sweet and tart cream lies a deep sea of berries, a combination known as “Junkberry” at Royers Round Top Cafe in Round Top, Texas. Husband and wife owners JB and Jamie Royer added the fruit pie to the menu in 2011 after Mr. Royer’s father’s 60th birthday, when the cafe’s baker at the time brought a pie with a similar topping to the party. That dessert inspired the junkberry version — a mix of berries, peaches and apple — which became one of the top sellers at the small town restaurant, located about 90 minutes east of Austin. Utilizing frozen berries and peaches makes this pie accessible year-round, but fresh fruit can be used in their places. Follow the cafe’s lead and serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. —Melissa Knific

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Ingredients

Yield:1 (9-inch) pie

FOR THE FILLING

  • 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

  • 1 ½ cups frozen peaches

  • 1 cup frozen blackberries

  • 1 cup frozen blueberries

  • 1 cup frozen strawberries

  • ½ cup frozen raspberries

  • ¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar

  • 6 tablespoons/45 grams all-purpose flour

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 1 ¼ cups/250 grams granulated sugar

  • 1 cup/120 grams all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup/228 grams sour cream

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

FOR ASSEMBLY

  • 1 (9-inch) single pie crust

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium pot, combine apple, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, sugar and flour over medium heat. (Do not thaw the peaches or berries.) Bring to a boil, stirring often. The raspberries will start to break down, but the rest of the fruit will remain intact; this whole process takes 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool slightly.

  2. Step 2

    Adjust a rack to the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, sour cream and salt until thoroughly combined. This will take a few minutes and will look like a thick paste.

  3. Step 3

    On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the pie crust to a 13-inch round and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Tuck and pinch the overhang so that the crust rests on the top edge of the pie plate, then crimp. When the oven has come to temperature, pour the slightly cooled fruit mixture into the crust. Dollop the topping over the fruit and smooth it all the way to the edges of the crust.

  4. Step 4

    Brush the edges of the crust with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the crust and the topping with coarse sugar.

  5. Step 5

    The pie plate will be very full; place it on the prepared baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until the topping is firm and the crust is golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool for at least 4 hours, then slice and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
190 user ratings
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Comments

Elizabeth

A friend of mine who made the pie with me had a brilliant idea — to pour the (room-temperature) sour cream topping into a makeshift piping bag (a gallon sized ziploc bag with a snipped corner) and to pipe the topping on top of the filling! She started at the outer edge and piped the topping onto the pie in a spiral till the center was covered. This eliminated any risk of forcing the filling out over the edges of the pie. No dolloping and smoothing necessary! So easy and seamless!

MT

@Kathryn Major —At first, I also thought the photo and text were mismatched. But after re-reading the recipe and zooming in on the photo, I think they are correct. It is indeed a single- crust pie but the topping (apparently) bakes in such a way to mimic a top crust.

Laura

@Kathryn Major I made this and mine looked exactly like the photo.

Rebecca

Would this be similar to "Fruit of the Forest" pie?

Wes D.

Can you use no sugar?

S

mmm, sugar isn't just making things sweeter, it's also acting as thickener (binds to the fruit juices, creates syrup). Without sugar, you would have to reduce the liquid, or accept a soggy pie. I would ask the internet for a different recipe, I'm sure somebody has trialled something out

Lois M

I wasn't sure how peaches and berries would go together but wow! That is a delicious pie!

S

Agreed! When I don't have enough peaches, I added cherries and blueberries to make a quick jam/thick compote to spoon over things, and gosh it is so darn delicious! And makes a nice change to cinnamon or ginger peach things

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