Blueberry Crumble
June 26, 2012 in Cakes & Pies, Featured
Blueberries! Yes, blueberries. After my U-Pick adventure, I had more than enough blueberries to go around, and not nearly enough time to use them. I put them in my oatmeal (infinitely better than frozen blueberries… they kind of POP in your mouth and release their intense sweetly tart flavors. mmm…), made them into muffins, ate handfuls of them at a time… and still had most of the bag left over. AJ kept bothering me to make a pie, and I had grand plans. It was going to be the best gosh-darn pie he had ever had, if only I could find the time to do it.
Pies can take a while. From the cutting of the butter into the dough, to the 15-minute freeze, to the rolling and shaping and placing and filling and topping and baking!!- it can be quite the process.
Enter –> blueberry crumble. It’s a humble kind of pie. It’s got all the pie-y goodness, with gooey filling and a buttery top. But it’s a little simpler. It’s a little less grandiose, and a little more comfort. It’s a little less perfection, and a little more get this out of the oven in under an hour! Pies can be scary. Crumbles are not. You can do it. I promise.
The other thing I love about crumbles? Say it with me - versatility. You don’t like blueberries? This crumble is just as good with strawberries. Or peaches. [[Or any fruit mix you can dream up!]] Got an aversion to almonds? Leave ‘em out, but I’d add another cup of oats! And speaking of almonds and oats, make sure to toast them beforehand. It really brings out the nutty flavors and makes it ohh so much better.
Make this crumble. Share it with friends! Or don’t. I won’t judge.
Blueberry Crumble
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert vegan blueberry oatmeal almond crumble summer
Ingredients (9×9″ pan)
For the topping:
- 1 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 1 cup flour
- 5 tbsp cold non-dairy margarine (I used Earth Balance), cut into 1″ pieces
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 4 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F! Lightly grease a 9×9″ pan (or something of similar dimensions).
Combine the oats and chopped almonds in a large skillet. Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and very fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Place flour and sugars in a large bowl and mix. Add cold butter and use your hands to work the butter into the flour mixture. Do this quickly until you have a coarse meal. There should still be a couple chunks of butter about the size of your pinky nail.
Add the oat-almond mixture and mix.
In another bowl, combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch, juice, and vanilla.
Place berry mixture in the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle the flour & oat mixture on top. Spread out the topping to cover all the berries.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling.
Remove and let cool for a few minutes. This can be served warm or cold – it’s delicious either way!
