Blackberry Crumble

4.79 from 19 votes

Fresh blackberries bake into a thick, jammy filling under a buttery crumble topping that turns golden and crisp. It has all the appeal of blackberry pie without dealing with pie crust.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blackberry crumble

Servings: servings

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

Filling:

¾ cups granulated sugar
4 to 6 tablespoons cornstarch see notes
⅓ teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest from 1 lemon
3 pounds fresh blackberries about 6 cups

Crumble topping:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8x8 inch baking dish.
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon zest in a small dish until all the dry ingredients are blended well. Gently toss the sugar mixture with the berries then place in the baking dish.

Crumble topping:

Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Stir with a fork until it has clumps the size of peas. Sprinkle evenly over the berries
Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet (in case the juices bubble over the edge). Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbly.
Let the berries cool slightly and serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Notes

Adjust the cornstarch as needed: Use 6 tablespoons if the blackberries are very ripe, soft, and juicy. If they are firmer and not especially juicy, 4 tablespoons is usually enough.

Using frozen blackberries: Frozen berries release more liquid, so use the full 6 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Bake until the filling bubbles: The topping should be golden, but also make sure the berry juices are bubbling around the edges so the filling has time to thicken properly.

Let it rest before serving: Give the crumble about 20 minutes to cool so the filling can set up a bit. If you scoop it too soon, it will be pretty loose.

For freezing the crumble: If you want to freeze the crumble, use 4 tablespoons of instant ClearJel or 5 tablespoons of instant tapioca instead of cornstarch. Cornstarch breaks down after freezing and does not thicken as well once baked.

Nutrition