Easy Blackberry Crumble – Classic Blackberry Crumbles
Desserts such as crumbles make summer treats more fun. This is a simple, easy and effortless recipe for blackberry crumble. It only takes a few minutes to bake and you have a deliciously soft, sweet yet tart syrupy fruit topped with crisp crumble. Serve it with a scoop of ice cream for that ultimate luxury or as is for a healthier alternative. One of the best ways to enjoy fruits in desserts.
We have lost count of how many fruits crumbles I have made this summer. Including raspberry peach crumble, blueberry crumbles, apricot
Another great way to use summer berries is in a classic fresh clafoutis or mousse. Both are custard-based desserts; rich and creamy like this blackberry tart and plum clafoutis or blackberry mousse. I could go on and on about my indulgence with summer fruits into desserts. And I’ll share more on that at the bottom of this post.
One of the reasons I love berry crumbles is this. Look at that thick tart yet sweet chewy fruit syrup. Next, look at the crisp buttery bits of crumble on the top. Now imagine a spoonful of that syrupy fruit with the crispy crumble that just bursts in the mouth. There’s a mouthful you cannot resist. Explosion!
What is the difference between cobbler and Crumble?
Both are baked fruit desserts. A cobbler uses dollops of biscuit dough or pie dough topping, which often when baked looks very similar to a cobblestone. A crumble uses a streusel-like topping made of flour, sugar, and butter with the addition of nuts.
What is the difference between crumble and crisp?
Again a crumble and a crisp are also both baked fruit desserts and both use a streusel topping made with butter, sugar, and flour. And yet, a crumble uses an addition of nuts while crips use rolled oats. These oats become crisp and flaky when cooked while the crumble topping is cakey and dense.
How to make the perfect crumble topping?
The perfect crumble topping is in the ratio of flour, sugar, and butter – Two parts flour, one part butter and one part sugar works every single time.
Let’s talk Ingredients and Substitutes (Save/Pin)
- Blackberries – Today I am using fresh, and yet you can also use frozen. If you use frozen you can keep the amount of sugar the same. I’d love to say you can also use canned, and yet with canned, I find the fruit is too soft and becomes syrupy by the time it’s cooked. It still tastes good, but the fruit is almost down to a syrup consistency.
- Sugar – I like using a mix of white and brown sugar. The white adds sweetness and keeps a beautiful white color while the light or brown sugar brings with it the flavor of molasses, which when combined with the cinnamon or nutmeg is an absolute luxury.
Unsalted Butter – I always use unsalted because I like to control the amount of salt I use. If you use salted butter that’s fine. Just omit salt in the recipe. Margarine or veg shortening works as well, and yet they both will affect the texture of the crumble. Since margarine has a bit more liquid so you may need to use a tad less. While vegetable shorting will make the crumble topping crisper.
Cornstarch – Blackberries are juicy, and the cornstarch helps thicken the juices giving you that thick syrup like consistency instead of a pool of liquid.
Vanilla – Always use good quality vanilla in your recipes. It makes a huge difference in flavor. I like to make a homemade vanilla extract or homemade vanilla bean paste. In desserts like this, I will often also use my homemade vanilla sugar.
Spice mix – There are so many flavors you can add. Like pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I admit that when it comes to crumble, I often prefer the fruit to shine. So I usually add just a pinch of cinnamon and a grating of nutmeg.
Recipe – Easy Blackberry Crumble / Classic Blackberry Crumble (Save/Pin)
Useful Tips & Tools
- Baking Dish.
- Food Processoror Bowl.
- Chopping Board.
- Pot.
- You can bake this as one crumble in a single Baking Dish or into four individual servings baked in individual ramekins.
- Also, the pastry blender is a great tool to have if you plan to make crumble often by hand.
- I love using my food processor. It takes minutes and the butter is evenly distributed giving you a nice uniform bread crumb consistency.
- A Bowl to mix the fruit and ingredients together.
Ingredients
Fruit Base
- 270 grams blackberries (1/2 lb)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 60 grams brown sugar (1/4 cup)
- 50 grams white sugar (1/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Crumble mix
- 120 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup)
- 4 tbsp light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp white Sugar
- 56 grams unsalted Butter (1/4 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp spice mix (cinnamon, gingerbread)
- 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
- 100 grams a
lmond meal or rolled oats (1 cup)
Methods
Prepare Blackberries
- Wash blackberries if using fresh – drain and pat dry so you don’t have excess water.
- Add sugars, lemon juice and set aside.
Prepare Crumble mix
- Chop chilled butter into cubes.
- In a food processor bowl – add flour, nuts/oats sugar, salt, vanilla, spice, and butter.
- Pulse a few times – until crumbly but not too much.
- Keep the bowl in the fridge to stay cold if necessary.
Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 170 C / 340 F.
- Add blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch – stir to combine.
- Grease the bottom of a baking dish or ramekin with butter.
- Pour fruit mixture into the baking dish.
- Top with the crumble topping generously.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes.
- The top will be golden and be bubbling.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this blackberry crumble in advance?
I love baking the crumble fresh, so the topping stays wonderfully crisp. And yet, you can make this crumble in advance. Cool it completely before you wrap it well and place it in the fridge.
How can I reheat the blackberry crumble?
Just a few minutes in the microwave will bring it back to it syrupy goodness. Then a few minutes in the oven will help crips the streusel topping as well.
Can I store extra crumble mix?
Yes, you can store any extra crumble mix well wrapped in a freezer bag (to prevent ice crystal) for up to 3 months.
Why did my crumble topping melt when baked?
It is very tempting to add more butter in the crumble topping, but too much butter will blend the mixture of flour and sugar. Creating the perfect crumb with flour and sugar requires that you do not add too much butter. Ideally, a ratio of 1:1:2 works best – One part butter: one part sugar: two parts flour.
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Easy Blackberry Crumble Recipe aka Classic Blackberry Crumbles
Ingredients
Fruit Base
- 270 grams Blackberries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 60 grams Brown sugar
- 50 grams White sugar
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Unsalted butter
Crumble mix
- 120 grams All-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp Light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp Sugar white
- 56 grams Unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Spice mix cinnamon, gingerbread
- 1/4 tsp Fresh grated nutmeg
- 100 grams Almond meal or rolled oats
Instructions
Prepare Blackberries
- Wash blackberries if using fresh – drain and pat dry so you don’t have excess water.
- Add sugars, lemon juice and set aside.
Prepare Crumble mix
- Chop chilled butter into cubes.
- In a food processor bowl – add flour, nuts/oats sugar, salt, vanilla, spice, and butter.
- Pulse a few times – until crumbly but not too much.
- Keep the bowl in the fridge to stay cold if necessary.
Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 170 C / 340 F.
- Add blackberries, sugar, and cornstarch – stir to combine.
- Grease the bottom of a baking dish or ramekin with butter.
- Pour fruit mixture into the baking dish.
- Top with the crumble topping generously.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes.
- The top will be golden and be bubbling.
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Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
August 1, 2017 at 1:44 amMy mouth is watering just looking at it. I’ve got some heavy whipping cream asking to be made into sweetened whipped cream and what a great place to dollop it — blackberry crumble. I’ll have to look for some.
Veena Azmanov
August 1, 2017 at 9:59 pmAbsolutely Marisa.. My kids are hooked onto crumble this summer. My Rhea calls the crumble cookie and she loves to make it..
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
July 31, 2017 at 11:22 pmMy husband LOVES crumble desserts. I happen to LOVE blackberries too. This would also work with a blackberry/blueberry combo…my two favourite berries in one delicious dessert.
Veena Azmanov
August 1, 2017 at 9:59 pmMe too I love crumble very much and now I have my kids hooked on to it too. I have a blueberry crumble too and yes this would be great with so many different combinations. I actually do love Blackberry and Raspberry together – the sweetness of the raspberry and the tartness of the blackberries.. just does it for me lol