It’s always a great day when the first crumble of the season goes into the oven. Yes, I could (and do) make fruit crumbles during the year but there is something about the fresh fruit of the Summer that makes baking so special. Pies, muffins, crumbles – I love baking them all and thankfully my family loves eating them. My favorite crumble ingredient is in the topping – oats. They really give the topping great texture and more depth than just sugar, butter and flour. Beyond the fruit, it’s the star of the show.
Speaking of fruit, I use this same recipe regardless of the fruit with some minor additions. The topping is always the same but when I make a peach (or cherry) crumble, I omit the lemon and add ½ tsp of almond extract and apples get ½ tsp of cinnamon. This is such a versatile recipe and the perfect dessert for a pot luck, picnic or if you are bringing something to a friend. It can be served warm or room temperature and I’ve frequently made it a few hours before I bring it somewhere and it’s perfect by the time we are ready to enjoy it. Ice cream or whipped cream are never a bad addition but this crumble is great alone too.
Ingredients
Filling
4 c Blueberries (preferably fresh but frozen is fine)
½ c Sugar
3 tbs Corn starch
2 tbs Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Zest from one lemon
Crumb Topping
1/3 c Brown sugar, firmly packed
¾ c Flour
¾ c Sugar
1 c Old fashioned oats (not instant) (I use Quaker)
½ tsp Salt
1 stick Butter cut into piece, room temperature
Preparation
Pre-heat your oven to 350.
In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the filling, set aside.
In a separate bowl for the crumb topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, sugar, oats and salt. Add the butter and mix till combined and the topping holds together. I use my hands rather than a mixer but you could use a stand mixer with the paddle if you like.
Pour the filling into a casserole dish at least two inches deep. Crumble the topping all over the filling. I grab a handful of the topping, squeeze it together and then break it up which produces large and small pieces which is what you want.
Place on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet (depending on your casserole dish, the filling may bubble over the sides could make a mess).
Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbling.
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