I love to use frozen fruits and berries in the middle of winter. It really makes me feel like a bit of summer is in the house. To glam this blueberry crumble up serve it warm in tea cups with a small scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream your call.

Berries:

6 cups (1.5 L) frozen blueberries, wild or cultivated (see professional home economist tip below)

1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) quick cooking tapioca

1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon

 

Topping:

¾ cup (175 mL) large flake rolled oats

½ cup (125 mL) whole wheat flour or oat flour

¼ cup (60 mL) oat bran

½ cup (125 mL) dark brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp (15 mL) ground cinnamon

¼ cup + 2 tbsp (90 mL) canola oil

 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Line an 8-inch square (2-L) baking pan with wet parchment paper, set aside.
2. Place the berries into the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly over the top with the tapioca, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl stir together the oats flakes, whole wheat or oat flour, oat bran, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a large spoon mix in the oil until well combined. The mixture should look wet.
4. Pour topping over the berries. Press down lightly.
5. Bake for 60-70 minutes (see note below) or until the blueberries are bubbling and the topping is a deep golden brown.
6. Serve warm or cold. Will keep up to two days covered in the fridge.

 

Makes 8 servings One serving = 2/3 cup (150 mL)

One Serving Contains: 285 Calories, 12.5 g Total fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0.3 g Trans Fat, 2 mg Sodium, 43.3 g Carbs, 6 g Fiber, 22.5 g Sugars, 3 g Protein

 

Professional home economist tip:

• If you want to speed up the baking time, thaw out the berries first. Place berries in the prepared pan and let sit on the counter for up to 3 hours to thaw. Then sprinkle with the tapioca, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Continue on with Step 3.
• To make this gluten free use gluten free oats, gluten free flour and omit the oat bran, unless you can find gluten free oat bran – its harder to source at a grocery store. Add an extra 1/2 cup of gluten free oats if eliminating the oat bran. I buy gluten free oats and oat flour at the Bulk Store. The brand I use is Canadian out of Saskatchewan, I don’t work for them, I’m just a fan – its called  only oats. 
• As a big proponent of using your good stuff, I love to serve this dessert in tea cups. Check out my Instagram account @MairlynSmith to see more of my tea cups or the #useyourgoodstuff
• I served this dessert at a fundraiser for New Circles, a charity supporting new Canadians, to raves. The tea cups in the picture belong to the hostess, and were so pretty.

This recipe first appeared in my cookbook Healthy Starts Here (Whitecap 2011)