Deep-Dish Blueberry Crumble with Brown Butter Oat Streusel

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A bakery-counter blueberry crumble built for real cooks: six cups of berries cooked down into a glossy, sliceable jam under a thick lid of brown butter oat streusel that stays crunchy for days. The brown butter is the whole trick — it makes the topping taste toasted and nutty before the oven even gets involved, and chilling it slightly gives you those big craggy clumps instead of sandy dust. Lemon zest and a splash of vanilla keep the fruit tasting like fruit, not candy.

Ingredients

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 g)
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 6 cups fresh blueberries (about 2 lb)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 pint vanilla ice cream or lightly whipped cream

Instructions

1. Brown the butter first so it has time to cool: melt the 8 tablespoons of butter in a light-colored skillet or small saucepan over medium heat. Once it stops foaming, swirl constantly for 3 to 5 minutes until the milk solids at the bottom turn deep golden and it smells nutty. Immediately scrape everything — including the browned bits — into a heatproof bowl and let it sit 10 to 15 minutes until it's warm, not hot.
2. Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center. Set a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below to catch drips. Butter a 9x9-inch baking dish or 2 1/2-quart shallow casserole.
3. Make the streusel: in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, oats, brown sugar, almonds, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into the cooled brown butter, then pour it over the dry mixture. Toss with a fork, then squeeze handfuls together and break them into pea- to marble-sized clumps. Refrigerate the bowl while you make the filling — cold clumps hold their shape and bake up crunchier.
4. Make the filling: in a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon until no cornstarch lumps remain. Add the blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla, and fold with a silicone spatula until every berry is coated in a chalky film. Scrape into the prepared dish and spread level.
5. Scatter the chilled streusel evenly over the fruit all the way to the edges, keeping the clumps intact and leaving a few gaps for steam to escape. Do not press it down.
6. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is deep golden brown and the juices bubble thickly at the edges and up through the center — thick, slow bubbles, not thin watery ones. If the topping darkens before the fruit is bubbling in the middle, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
7. Let the crumble rest on a rack at least 30 minutes before serving. This is not optional: the cornstarch only sets as it cools, and a hot crumble runs soupy. Serve warm in bowls with vanilla ice cream or lightly whipped cream.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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