Wild Berry Crumble

You probably already read my post about berry picking in the Poconos. I'm amazed at how common wild berries are around here. We picked a good mix of Blackberries and Blueberries.

In case you are inspired to run out the door right now and forage some berries yourself you might want to go back and read some very important tips that I shared on the subject. It would at least give you a good laugh. 

The awesome thing about crumbles is their versatility. I made mine gluten free. A gluten free diet has recently become very important to me. It helps me to feel healthy! As I recently read in a wonderful post written 

by the Gluten Free Girl, 

                   

A crumble is a super easy dessert to make if you're gluten free. You don't have to worry about anything rising or falling and the berries are the star of the flavor show. Really you could take this recipe and use any fruit. The secret is leaving one cup of fruit uncooked and whole, unless it's an apple or similar fruit then it would need to be chopped up. This provides maximum fruit flavor. The reaming fruit you cook into a filling. 

Another helpful tip when making a crumble is when cleaning your fruit do so in a strainer. Wild berries are especially fragile so rinse them off in a strainer then place the strainer of berries over a bowl. This provides a place for any juice to collect. You can add that juice to the cooked portion of the crumble. 

When you cook up the filling part of the crumble you add any remaining berries and juice. I also added lemon juice and zest and honey for a sweetener. If you don't like honey no problem add maple syrup or any other sweetener you're fond of. If you don't like lemon try lime or orange. 

The topping is just as versatile. I used G-free flour, almonds, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar and finally some butter. You could use a variety of nuts and seeds in place of almonds. You don't have to use G-free flour either. Don't want to put butter on top use a drizzle of coconut oil. 

Isn't cooking fun? You can take a recipe and use it as a base adding whatever ingredients you like or have on hand. 

Here's how I made my Wild Berry Crumble:

Once you've made the crumble you have more options for how you want to serve it.

It's hard to resist a drizzle of heavy cream over a crumble. 

Or a scoop of ice cream on the side.

Or both...

I hope you're inspired to get in the kitchen to make a crumble with whatever fresh fruit you can get your hands on. It's one of the simplest, most versatile, delicious desserts you can make. Enjoy!