Blackberry Crumble Recipe

Here in Washington State, blackberries grow wild during part of July and all of August. You can literally go outside in your yard or at the park, and pick a zillion of them if you want.

I used to pick them with my youngest daughter Megan, and now I pick them with my grandchildren. I love how this tradition continues on, and it's something I look forward to every summer.

Of course with all those picked berries, we like using them in different ways and different recipes. One of my absolute favorites is this Blackberry Crumble. It's super easy to make, and my granddaughter Ashley helped me make it. At three years old, she loves stirring things, so mixing together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter was her job. And she loved eating something yummy that she helped make.

This crumble can be made with other kinds of fruits, such as raspberries or peaches. You can serve it for dessert or breakfast. And as a dessert, it's extra delicious served warm and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Recipe for Blackberry Crumble

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh blackberries
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, oats, flour, salt, and vanilla. Mix all together, then with a fork, break into small, loose pieces of dough.
Divide the blackberries evenly in 4-6 (depending on size) ceramic ramekins.
Spread the oat mixture evenly on top of the berries in the ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for 25-28 minutes.
Let the crumble set until just warm and serve. Can be topped with vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream.

Summer Strawberry Scones Recipe

One of my favorite parts of summer is all the luscious berries available at the grocery stores and farmer's markets. I am a big strawberry lover, and so is my family. So, I'm always on the lookout for yummy recipes that can incorporate them.

These Strawberry Scones are delicious, and if you've never made scones before, this is an easy first recipe to try. They can be made without the powdered sugar drizzle on top, but I like adding it for a little more sweetness.

Instead of using foil, I always use parchment paper for baking. The foil always sticks, so it's great to be able to just lift the scones out of the pan when their done, without sticking.

Recipe for Summer Strawberry Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, very cold and diced small
1 cup diced strawberries
1/2 cup half & half or vanilla coffee creamer
1 egg

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add diced butter pieces, and with a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in strawberries.
In a small bowl, whisk together half & half, or coffee creamer until smooth. Stir cream and egg mixture into flour mixture until combined. Using your hands, press the dough together to form a ball.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7 to 8 inch circle, about 3/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 8 triangles.
Place on baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Place on a wire rack when done.
To make the drizzle, stir together the powdered sugar and milk.
 Drizzle over warm scones and serve.

Makes 8 scones.