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Summer Blueberry Crumble

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on April 18, 2008

Time

55 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 6

Summer Blueberry Crumble

Ingredients

½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar 4 teaspoons cornstarch ¼ teaspoon salt 25 ounces (709 grams/5 cups) fresh blueberries ⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) old-fashioned oats ⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and chilled

Before You Begin

Avoid instant or quick oats here—they are too soft and will make the crumble mushy. In step 2, do not press the topping into the berry mixture or it may sink and become soggy. Frozen berries do not work in this recipe because they shed too much liquid. Serve with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add berries to bowl and toss to coat. Transfer to 8-inch square baking dish.
  2. Process flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining salt in food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until dime-sized clumps form. Transfer crumble to bowl and pinch together any powdery parts. Sprinkle crumble evenly over berries.
  3. Bake until filling is bubbling around edges and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve. (Once fully cooled, the crumble can be wrapped with plastic and refrigerated for 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
  4. Crumble Without a Food Processor: In step 2, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add chilled butter to bowl and, using pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into dry ingredients until dime-sized clumps form. Pinch together any powdery parts, then sprinkle crumble evenly over berries. Proceed with recipe as directed.
Summer Blueberry Crumble

Summer Blueberry Crumble

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

55 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 6

Ingredients

½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
25 ounces (709 grams/5 cups) fresh blueberries
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and chilled

Ingredients

½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
25 ounces (709 grams/5 cups) fresh blueberries
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and chilled

Ingredients

½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
25 ounces (709 grams/5 cups) fresh blueberries
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and chilled

Why This Recipe Works

Many blueberry crumble recipe turn out soupy fillings because the thick layer of streusel on top of the fruit prevents the excess moisture in the berries from evaporating. We wanted our Summer Blueberry Crumble recipe to feature a thick, fresh-tasting blueberry filling topped with a contrasting layer of crunchy streusel. To do this, we found the perfect amount of cornstarch that was enough to quickly tighten up the filling without muting the flavor of the berries. The streusel topping in our blueberry crumble recipe is made with flour, butter, sugar, and oats. We avoided instant or quick oats in our recipe—they are too soft and will make the crumble mushy. For bigger crumbles that won’t become soggy, we pulsed cold butter into the dry streusel ingredients until they formed dime-size clumps, using our fingers to incorporate the last dry bits. When sprinkling the crumble over the berries, we avoided pressing the topping into the berries, which would make it sink and become soggy. Frozen berries do not work in this blueberry crumble recipe because they shed too much liquid.

Before You Begin

Avoid instant or quick oats here—they are too soft and will make the crumble mushy. In step 2, do not press the topping into the berry mixture or it may sink and become soggy. Frozen berries do not work in this recipe because they shed too much liquid. Serve with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add berries to bowl and toss to coat. Transfer to 8-inch square baking dish.
  2. Process flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining salt in food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until dime-sized clumps form. Transfer crumble to bowl and pinch together any powdery parts. Sprinkle crumble evenly over berries.
  3. Bake until filling is bubbling around edges and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve. (Once fully cooled, the crumble can be wrapped with plastic and refrigerated for 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
  4. Crumble Without a Food Processor: In step 2, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add chilled butter to bowl and, using pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into dry ingredients until dime-sized clumps form. Pinch together any powdery parts, then sprinkle crumble evenly over berries. Proceed with recipe as directed.

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