Easy Blackberry Crumble - Classic Blackberry Crumbles

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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 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 fruit crumbles I have made this summer. Including: raspberry peach crumble, blueberry crumbles, apricot crumble squares. My kids have really been enjoying it so much. Not just eating, but making the crumble too! My Rhea loves the job of squishing the butter, sugar, and flour with her hands. So, often, she will choose to make crumble for dessert. And since we love summer fruits so much, it's been a real big treat this summer.

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 in 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 a 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.

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Ingredients and substitutes

• 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.

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Step by step instructions (Save/Pin)

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.

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Frequently asked questions

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