Blueberry Crisp

I still have a couple more posts about my Boston trip, but I haven't written anything about cooking in awhile! Blueberry desserts are high on my list of favorite things, and when I didn't eat any blueberry pie last week on vacation I knew I would need to remedy that as soon as I got back.



I bought some gorgeous blueberries from Nichols Farm at the farmers market, and started researching what I should make. I didn't want to make a pie because it's a bigger dessert than a household of two people needs, and I knew there were options that didn't involve pie crust. After looking through recipes for crumbles, crisps, buckles, and cobblers, I decided on a Good Housekeeping recipe for blueberry crisp. I actually cut the recipe down to a third instead of half, because I had just one pint of blueberries and a mini baking dish, but here's the full recipe:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 pints blueberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut up, substitute margarine
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, stir granulated sugar and cornstarch until blended. Add blueberries and lemon juice; stir to coat evenly. Spoon blueberry mixture into shallow 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish; spread evenly.



In same bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. With fingers, mix until coarse crumbs form. Crumble over blueberry mixture.




Place sheet of foil underneath baking dish; crimp foil edges to form a rim to catch any drips during baking. Bake crisp 35 to 40 minutes or until top is browned and fruit is bubbly at edges. Cool on wire rack 1 hour to serve warm or cool completely to serve later. Reheat if desired.



I cannot stress enough how easy this was. I really think it's the easiest thing I've ever baked. Quick and very little mess - no mixer, no dough to roll or form cookies from, no multiple batches in the oven. Just one bowl and one baking dish. And there's lots of variations you could do with the crumble part - add chopped walnuts or pecans, nutmeg, vanilla sugar, or whatever else sounds good to you. And of course, serve with vanilla ice cream.



In the privacy of your home, it's perfectly acceptable to lick your plate. Which I did. I couldn't let any sugary blueberry juice go to waste!