Ingredients
6 c. fresh blueberries (2 lb.)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Kosher salt
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. baking powder
Kosher salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, cut into ½” cubes
1/2 c. sliced almonds, toasted
Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Preparation
Step 1Preheat the oven to 375°. Step 2Make the filling: In a large bowl, mix the blueberries, lemon juice, flour, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish or 9” pie dish.Step 3Make the crumble: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.Step 4Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture, flattening the pieces and continuing until mixture is crumbly. Stir in almonds. Sprinkle crumble topping on top of the blueberries.Step 5Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the crumble topping is golden brown and crisp and the berries are bubbling and thick, 30 to 35 minutes.Step 6Let cool 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
What’s the difference between a cobbler, crisp, and a crumble? While cobblers, crisps, and crumbles are all baked fruit desserts, they have a few differences. A cobbler is topped with pillowy biscuits, which are dropped on top of the fruit filling. (We love this strawberry cobbler, if that’s the direction you’d like to take.) Crisps and crumbles both have toppings similar to streusel, but crisps usually contain oats, while crumbles do not. What’s in a crumble topping? This crumble topping features almonds, and just enough flour to bind the topping into perfectly crunchy clusters. Of course, there’s plenty of butter in there, too, for deliciousness’ sake. Scented with lemon zest, cinnamon, and pure vanilla extract, this crumble is sophisticated enough to serve for a dinner party, but classic enough to be a crowd-pleaser. Making it out of season? No problem. Frozen berries work in place of fresh ones. No need to defrost—just proceed as written. If you have a nut allergy, swap in an equal amount toasted seeds (may we suggest pepitas or sunflower?) or simply skip them altogether.
