Winter Berry Crumble Buttery Oat (Print Version)
Cozy winter berries baked under a golden, buttery oat topping. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
# What You Need:
→ Berry Filling
01 - 1.1 lb mixed frozen winter berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, red currants)
02 - 6 tbsp granulated sugar
03 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
04 - 2 tbsp cornstarch
→ Oat Crumble Topping
05 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
06 - 1 cup rolled oats
07 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar
08 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
09 - 1/4 tsp salt
10 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
# How to Make It:
01 - Set the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).
02 - Combine frozen berries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Mix until evenly incorporated, then transfer to a 2-quart baking dish.
03 - In a separate bowl, mix flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and work it into the dry ingredients using fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
04 - Distribute the oat crumble evenly over the berry filling in the baking dish.
05 - Place the assembled dish in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the berry filling is bubbling around the edges.
06 - Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm, optionally with vanilla ice cream or custard.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- It comes together in 20 minutes of prep, so you can have warm dessert on the table before dinner feels like a distant memory.
- The crumble topping tastes like you've been fussing in the kitchen for hours when really you just rubbed some butter and oats together.
- Frozen berries work beautifully, which means you're not hunting for perfect fruit in the middle of winter.
02 -
- Frozen berries release a surprising amount of juice, so don't skip the cornstarch or you'll end up with a soupy filling no matter how perfect your crumble looks.
- Cold butter is non-negotiable if you want that crumbly topping—warm butter makes the whole thing dense and cake-like instead of light and crispy.
03 -
- If your kitchen is warm, pop the crumble topping into the freezer for 10 minutes after you assemble it—the extra-cold butter will toast more evenly and stay crumbly.
- Watch for that moment when the edges start bubbling; that's when you know the berries are properly cooked and the filling has thickened from the cornstarch.