Blueberry Oat Crumble + Video
Um, yeah, so I might be just a little bit late to the game.
Fruit crumbles have been around a long, long while. But not on this blog they haven't. I've never posted a fruit crumble/crisp/cobbler before today. I don't know why. I don't know how.
Well, okay, I do know how. I've come to realize that sadly, recipes don't get posted if I don't actually post them. Unfortunately, just thinking about posting a fruit crumble doesn't mean a fruit crumble will be posted. I actually have to create a crumble recipe. And make the crumble. And photograph the crumble. And in this case, video the crumble as well.
Speaking of videos:
Or, watch it on Youtube.
But today, finally, instead of just thinking about blueberry oat crumble, I made a blueberry oat crumble. And completed all the other necessary steps that enable a recipe to make its way onto this site.
Wanna know why I decided to make a blueberry oat crumble as opposed to any other type of fruit crumble? Because I love blueberry crumbles more than any other type of fruit crumbles.
And I love baked goods with oatmeal in them. So I figured, instead of making a crumble with just the usual flour and sugar and butter mixture, why not add oats to the mix? And while we're at it, why not make the crumble completely dairy free? And also while we're at it, why not make a crumble that resembles and tastes like an oatmeal cookie instead of some dry oat clusters? Why not, eh?
Which is why the crumble for this recipe is not exactly crumbly. It's actually quite soft and doughy. It's actually pretty much an oatmeal cookie dough.
Crumbles don't usually have eggs and leavening agents in them. But this one does. Because, like I said, this crumble is basically an oatmeal cookie dough.
I did manage to hold back on the chocolate chips though. I mean, I would usually never make an oatmeal cookie without chocolate chips. But I had to keep telling myself, "Leah, please be reminded that this is a blueberry oat crumble - damn it, stop walking towards the cabinet with the chocolate chips, this is not an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that you happen to be sprinkling on top of a blueberry mixture and baking in a ramekin."
I compromised and put chopped walnuts in instead.
The blueberry mixture here is quite tart. I went easy on the sugar because I wanted the blueberries to be tangy and just slightly sweet as opposed to the other way around.
Besides, the oat crumble is sweet enough to balance out the tartness of the blueberries. Because it's broken up pieces of oatmeal cookies, remember?
Oh, and the crumble per blueberry ratio in this recipe is not exactly equal. Purposely. This recipe yields A LOT of oat crumble. Because nothing makes me sadder than a fruit crumble that's basically just mushy fruit with a measly scattering of crumble on top.
No, this particular blueberry oat crumble recipe ensures you get a generous serving of crumble with every helping of fruit. (Although, admittedly, I ate so much raw crumble dough when I was making this recipe that my crumble per blueberry ratio may have ended up being even.)
As with most fruit crumbles, this recipe is pretty versatile.
I chose to make my crumbles in individual ramekins. But you don't have to. Use a large pie plate instead. Or a square pan. Or a rectangular pan. Or a triangular pan. Or a heart-shaped pan. Etcetera.
You can also swap out the blueberries for a different fruit. Or substitute the chopped walnuts for chopped pecans or almonds. Or skip the nuts altogether. Etcetera.
Tart, juicy blueberries on bottom. Crispy, crumbly, delicious oatmeal cookie clusters (more like clumps, really, because it's cookie dough!!!) on top. Just add ice cream.
blueberry oat crumble
Yield: About 12 individual ramekins, or 1 large crumble
Crumble:
1 cup oil
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or nut of choice)
Filling:
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 teaspoons cornstarch
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a large pie plate, a square, round, or rectangular pan, or about 12 individual ramekins.
Crumble: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients right on top of the wet and stir everything together till just combined.
Filling: In a medium bowl, gently mix the blueberries with the rest of the filling ingredients until blueberries are evenly coated.
Spoon blueberry mixture into prepared pan or divide evenly between ramekins. Sprinkle crumble generously on top of blueberries, breaking the dough up with your fingers. (This recipe yields lots of crumble per blueberry ratio. You may have leftover crumble.)
Bake crumble for about 25-35 minutes (depending on size of pan), or until juices are bubbling and the crumble is a deep golden brown.
