Mixed Berry Crumble

If you like home made pies, and if you don’t have the time and patience to make it from scratch, this one is for you. It wouldn’t look like pies, but the taste is very close. I make apple pies using a food network recipe. But after trying out a crumble version, I don’t think I would make a pie again unless I have to! You can use your favorite pie filling recipe and make it a crumble.

The basic procedure includes mixing chopped fruits with your choice of flavorings, topped with a flour-oats-butter-brown sugar mixture, and baking it until the top is crumbly and golden brown. This is one recipe in which you can use your imagination and try different variations. Apple, peach, strawberry-rhubarb, blueberries, a mix of berries are all good choices for making fruit crumble.

The one you see in this picture is a mixed berry crumble.

I like making them individually in ramekins for the easiness of serving. But you can use a pie dish or any baking dish, and make one big crumble.

To make the bottom layer, mix the following in a bowl:

Strawberries, cut into quarters – 1 cup (If strawberries are bigger, cut into 8 pieces)

Blueberries – ½ cup

Black berries – ½ cup

Cinnamon, powdered – ¼ tsp

Nutmeg, powdered – a pinch

Sugar – 1/3 cup (Add more or less to your taste)

Corn flour – 1 tbsp

You can add lemon zest or a dash of lemon juice if you want. Some people like lemon with their strawberries. I don’t.

Use chopped green apples instead of berries to make apple crumble.

Mix all the ingredients together and fill in the ramekins. Spread evenly. It will bubble up in the oven. So do not overfill the ramekins to prevent spilling. (

For the top layer, mix the following together. I use my small food processor bowl and pulse all these together.

Butter – 2 tbsp, cut into small pieces

Oats – ½ cup

Brown sugar – 1 to 2 tbsp

Flour, wheat or all purpose – 2 tbsp

Sprinkle it evenly over the fruit.

Arrange the ramekins in a baking tray. Line the tray with a foil paper to catch the spilling, if any.

Bake it in a 375 degree preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the bottom part is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is best when eaten the same day. If there are leftovers, refrigerate it and use it next day. You can warm it up in the microwave.

If you love cooking with kids, try this out. Let them mix the fruits with the other ingredients, spoon the mix into ramekins, and sprinkle the flour mix. Hope your kids enjoy it just as mine did. :)