SUMMER BERRY CRUMBLE

The weather is starting to cool down, but there’s still time to take advantage of the last days of summer. One of the best ways to do that is to enjoy the season’s ripest and freshest fruit. And I’ve got the perfect recipe for it — Summer Berry Crumble.

This recipe is easy to make with a few simple ingredients and the results are divine. Fresh, juicy, seasonal berries explode and melt into each other, under a blanket of warm, buttery, crunchy crumble topping. It’s amazing to me what heat can do to the taste and texture of fruit. Especially to the dark, sweet blueberries, raspberries and blackberries that bring this dessert to life. And the cinnamon and oats in the crumble topping add the perfect balance of warmth and texture.

It doesn’t take much to create this dish that will feel like it came straight from your local bakery. All you need is a pint of your favorite vanilla ice cream, and it’s time to go to a happy place.

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Making Summer Berry Crumble

This recipe comes together in two easy parts — first you make the berry mixture, then the crumb topping. Then it all comes together in a baking dish and the oven does the rest.

You need 4 cups of the freshest local berries you can find for this recipe. I used blueberries, blackberries and raspberries that I found at the farmer’s market. Strawberries and pitted cherries would also be amazing in this dessert.

After thoroughly rinsing the berries, add them to a mixing bowl and toss them with sugar, which will bring out even more of their natural sweetness. Add lemon juice and lemon zest for a little tangy kick that will keep everything tasting more fresh, rather than too sweet. Toss in some vanilla extract, as well as cornstarch, which will cause the mixture to thicken to perfection in the oven.

All that goodness gets mixed together and spread into a 9×9” baking dish.

Next, make the crumble topping. I like to use a stand mixer for this part of the recipe. If don’t have one, you can use an electric beater, or even a spatula and your hands.

Start by combining flour, old-fashioned rolled oats, baking powder and cinnamon. You can use steel cut or quick cook oats for this recipe if that’s what you have, but I find that the texture is best with the old-fashioned oats.

In a seperate small bowl combine brown sugar, regular white sugar, and a stick of melted butter. Pour the mixture into your dry ingredients, and mix everything until it forms small crumbs. They should mold together if you squeeze them in your hands, but stay crumbled if you toss them around in the bowl.

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Once the crumble is ready to go, sprinkle it all over the top of your berries in the baking dish. Try to spread it out as evenly as possible.

Finally, the crumble goes in a 375F oven for 25-30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the berries are bubbling and the crumble topping is golden brown.

Once it’s out of the oven, I like to serve it up in a bowl with a heaping scoop of ice cream. Then, I sit back and let the euphoria wash over me.

You can store this crumble, covered, in the fridge for several days. When you’re ready for another piece, just reheat each serving for about 30 seconds in the microwave, so it’s nice and warm and gooey again.

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Let me know if you give this Summer Berry Crumble a try! I love to hear from you in the comments, or tag me on instagram @eat.think.live and let me see your creation! Plus, you can check out the rest of my recipes HERE.