Homemade Blueberry Crumble — Donna Hopkins

It’s my mother-in-law’s birthday and she is 93 years-old. This is our gift to her—homemade Blueberry Crumble.

While I am a decent cook, I am not a very good baker. So a crumble, a cobbler, or a crisp are my go-to desserts. They are reliably easy to make, do not require any fussy ingredients, and always please everyone. I’m sharing my favorite recipe here today (from Simply Julia, by Julia Turshen).

*Blueberry Crumble, freshly baked, June 2025*

For the blueberries

1 pound (453 g) fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, no need to defrost)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the crumble topping

1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (70 g) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (60 g) rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Next, prepare the blueberries. Place berries in a large bowl with the lemon juice, cornstarch, brown sugar and salt. Mix well. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie pan . No need to wash the bowl!

Then prepare the crumb topping.

In the same bowl you mixed the blueberries in, stir together the brown sugar, whole wheat flour, oats, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter and work the mixture with your hands, rubbing it between your fingertips to form large crumbs. (It should feel like dense, wet sand.)

Assemble and bake.

Dot the top of the blueberries evenly with the crumb mixture. Bake until the blueberries are bubbling and the crumbs are dark golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Allow the crumble to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Add a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream for topping.