Classic Blackberry Crumble is a wonderfully warm, sweet dessert full of fresh blackberries and a great buttery oat crumble topping!
Sweet and tart, Classic Blackberry Crumble is an easy-to-make dessert that you can make with fresh or frozen berries and is perfect with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream! Juicy blackberries topped with a sweet, buttery oat topping is a quick dish that everyone loves!
Crumble Cravings
Whether it’s summer berry season or we’re knee-deep in winter fun, nothing beats a warm, sweet Classic Blackberry Crumble! The tartness of the blackberries makes a dessert that’s not overly sweet and when paired with a brown sugar oat topping, it creates layers of flavors that are so amazing on their own or with a giant scoop of ice cream on the side! Blackberry Crumble is a family favorite we love to make all year long.
Gather as much fresh summer fruit as possible to make family favorites like sweet Peach Crumble Tart and amazing Fresh Berry Crisp!
Other Recipes to Serve with Classic Blackberry Crumble
- Treat all the grown-ups to the best sips of summer with beautiful and refreshing Backyard Blackberry Sangria!
- Create easy-to-make Homemade Blackberry Sauce to enjoy over your favorite ice cream, pancakes, and more!
Ingredients
Blackberry Filling
Fruit: You will need blackberries for this recipe and you can choose from fresh or frozen, depending on the time of year and availability.
Pantry Items: Along with the fruit, you will also need granulated sugar and cornstarch.
Wet Ingredients: A little butter is needed for greasing the pan and you will need water as well.
Crumble Topping
Pantry Items: You will need quick oats, brown sugar, flour, and ground cinnamon.
Butter: Pick up butter to cube for this recipe or use what you have on hand.
How to Make Classic Blackberry Crumble
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and melt a little butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat.
STEP TWO: Combine the blackberries, sugar, cornstarch, and water in a bowl and mix well. Pour the berries and any liquid into the buttered cast iron skillet.
STEP THREE: In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the cubed butter into the mix using a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture reaches a crumbled consistency.
STEP FOUR: Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of the berries in the cast iron skillet.
STEP FIVE: Bake the blackberry crumble for 25-30 minutes or until the crumble topping is golden and the berry filling is bubbly.
Tips for Success
- Fresh or frozen blackberries are wonderful in this crumble so use what you like best or can easily purchase.
- Make sure the cubed butter is nice and cold when it’s time to mash it in the dry topping ingredients. This will allow the topping to crisp up nicely and taste deliciously buttery!
- Love the idea of a mixed berry crumble? Add in some of your favorite berries, such as blueberries and raspberries, just be sure to keep the number of cups the same.
- Don’t have a cast iron skillet? Grease up your trusty 8×8 pan to use instead!
What’s the secret to a crunchy crumble?
A wonderfully crunchy crumble topping can make your crumbles stand out from the crowd so it’s good to know how to achieve the best topping. For this recipe, quick oats are one of the main ingredients in the topping. These oats have a lighter texture and cook more quickly, which can give your topping a great crisp but if you prefer chewy crumbles, use old-fashioned oats instead. Besides the oats, the most important ingredient by far when making a crumble is cold, cubed butter. The butter must be cold when cutting it into the dry ingredients, which creates a sandy texture that is perfect for holding the butter in place. Rather than the oats soaking in the butter, the butter crisps the topping as it melts while the crumble is baking.
How do you thicken fruit for a crumble?
A thick, hearty fruit crumble is a snap when you mix in a basic pantry staple like cornstarch! After washing and cutting the fruit, tossing it with a little sugar will draw out the liquid and sweetness of the fruit, also known as maceration. When cornstarch is added to macerated fruit it helps to thicken the fruit juices released by the sugar. This thickening process can only be reached while baking because the cornstarch and liquid must boil for a bit to properly thicken.
More Fruit-Filled Sweets to Fall For!
*This post originally posted on 06/28/2014.
Ingredients
Blackberry Filling
- Butter for greasing
- 4 cups fresh blackberries (frozen and thawed)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Topping
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup cold butter cut into small cubes
- Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven while it's heating. Once the oven is hot, take out the skillet and carefully grease the inside with butter. Set aside.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the blackberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and water. Gently mix until the berries are coated.
- Pour the blackberry mixture into the greased skillet. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
- Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the cold butter into the oat mixture until it has a small crumbly texture. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the berries.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Kristy says
I have old fashioned oats (not quick cooking). Will that matter?
Aubrey Cota says
It may make the topping just a bit more chewy, try toasting the old fashioned oats first then adding them in to mixture.
Antoinette says
Simple, yummy, and amazing recipe!
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you!
Genna says
This is a really yummy and homy recipe especially for during the winter!
Kerry says
I bought fresh blackberries from the farmers market and was looking for a simple recipe to use. The crumble came out great! Easy to make and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Criptic says
Easy, tasty & yummy!