The Ultimate Berry Crumble

Name: The Ultimate Berry Crumble
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 1 2-quart baking dish
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; ¼ teaspoon fine salt; ¾ teaspoon baking powder; ¾ cup white sugar; ¾ cup frozen unsalted butter; 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 large egg yolks; 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, or as needed; 1 cup blueberries; 1 cup raspberries; 1 cup blackberries; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice; ⅓ cup white sugar; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Rating: 4.75 stars

104 Ratings
71 Reviews
24 Photos

I don't tack the word ultimate onto just any recipe. This berry well may be my favorite summer dessert, with the perfect balance of sweet and tart, tender and crisp, fruit and crumble. Some ice cream on the side is highly recommended.

By Chef John

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Recipe Summary

prep:

15 mins

cook:

40 mins

additional:

30 mins

total:

1 hr 25 mins

Servings:

Yield:

1 2-quart baking dish

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

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Step 2
Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Grate in the frozen butter, stopping occasionally to toss the butter into the flour mixture until coated. Drizzle in vanilla extract; add egg yolks. Stir with a fork until egg is mostly absorbed. Add vinegar; mix briefly. Use your hands to finish mixing, squeezing until clumps but mixture remains mostly dry. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar if needed.
Step 3
Combine blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in another bowl. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Sprinkle in cayenne pepper. Mix until sugar and cornstarch are mostly dissolved.
Step 4
Place about 1/2 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Press mixture down using a flat cup until well compacted. Spread the berries over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture on top, squeezing some of it into clumps.
Step 5
Bake in the preheated oven until top is beautifully browned and berry syrup bubbles on the surface, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Chef's Notes:

You can use self-rising flour and skip the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder combination.

Use any variety of berries; ripe peaches and other summer stone fruit would also be fantastic. You can use frozen berries, which are a lot juicier, so keep that in mind when making cornstarch-related decisions.

If you want a pie-like filling, you'll want to toss in about 1 to 4 teaspoons of cornstarch, otherwise for a runnier fruit mixture cut it in half, or leave it out altogether.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

416 calories; protein 4.6g; carbohydrates 58.2g; fat 18.9g; cholesterol 97mg; sodium 123.9mg. Full Nutrition

Reviews (71)

Most helpful positive review

Ekbrook

07/14/2018

The whole family enjoyed this! As usual, Chef John showed us in the video how to add some professional tweaks that make a big difference to the final product. Additionally, I never would have imagined that apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper would have played a role in such a sweet berry dish. But it was overall Superb! Will definitely make this one often in berry season. Read More

Helpful

(10)

Most helpful critical review

Maritime Ukrainian

04/16/2019

It was okay, the crust/base was bland. I would make it with brown sugar instead to add some depth of flavour and the caramel flavour would really enhance the berries. Read More

Helpful

(3)

104 Ratings

5 star values: 91
4 star values: 6
3 star values: 3
2 star values: 2
1 star values: 2

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

Ekbrook

07/14/2018

Helpful

(10)

Heather

06/20/2018

This is amazing! I don’t always take the time to watch recipe videos, but this one was helpful. I used all raspberries and forgot the cayenne, but kept everything else the same. So good!! Read More

Helpful

(8)

sara

07/06/2018

I can't tell you how many crisps crumbles and cobblers I've made over my 40 years in the kitchen - but believe me when I tell you this one is the ultimate. So good I've committed the crumble mixture to memory. Read More

Helpful

(7)

PAB

07/06/2019

My husband and amateur food critic son loved this ultimate berry crumble. I made the recipe exactly as written and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For those who expressed frustration with grating the butter, you must freeze the butter first and use a grater, not a micro plane zester, which has very tiny holes. I would not change a thing. The flavor of the crumble reminded me of shortbread. It was not bland at all. Yum! Read More

Helpful

(4)

adriana mooney

11/16/2018

I’ve made it twice. This time I skipped the bottom crust and put more crumbles on top. No raspberries. They get too mushy. I used a combination of fresh and frozen and used lots more. I filled the pie plate almost to the top with berries and then put a heavy layer of crumbles. Read More

Helpful

(3)

GCooks

05/28/2018

This really is...Ultimate! Absolutely fantastic. No changes except throwing in a few strawberries. Chef John rocks! Read More

Helpful

(3)

Renate

06/01/2018

This is a keeper! Thank you! Read More

Helpful

(3)

Maritime Ukrainian

04/16/2019

It was okay, the crust/base was bland. I would make it with brown sugar instead to add some depth of flavour and the caramel flavour would really enhance the berries. Read More

Helpful

(3)

anthiad

03/03/2020

Very good. I added cinnamon to the crumble and subbed half the sugar with brown sugar in the crumb mix. Read More

Helpful

(2)

More Reviews

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All Reviews for The Ultimate Berry Crumble

- of Reviews

The Ultimate Berry Crumble

Servings Per Recipe: 8
Calories: 415.7

% Daily Value *

protein: 9 %

carbohydrates: 19 %

dietary fiber: 13 %

sugars:

fat: 29 %

saturated fat: 57 %

cholesterol: 32 %

vitamin a iu: 13 %

niacin equivalents: 23 %

vitamin b6: 3 %

vitamin c: 17 %

folate: 18 %

calcium: 5 %

iron: 10 %

magnesium: 6 %

potassium: 3 %

sodium: 5 %

thiamin: 27 %

calories from fat:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

Reviews for: Photos of The Ultimate Berry Crumble

1 of 71

All Reviews

Ekbrook

07/14/2018

Helpful

(10)

Heather

06/20/2018

This is amazing! I don’t always take the time to watch recipe videos, but this one was helpful. I used all raspberries and forgot the cayenne, but kept everything else the same. So good!!

Helpful

(8)

sara

07/06/2018

Helpful

(7)

PAB

07/06/2019

Helpful

(4)

adriana mooney

11/16/2018

Helpful

(3)

GCooks

05/28/2018

This really is...Ultimate! Absolutely fantastic. No changes except throwing in a few strawberries. Chef John rocks!

Helpful

(3)

Renate

06/01/2018

This is a keeper! Thank you!

Helpful

(3)

Maritime Ukrainian

04/16/2019

It was okay, the crust/base was bland. I would make it with brown sugar instead to add some depth of flavour and the caramel flavour would really enhance the berries.

Helpful

(3)

anthiad

03/03/2020

Very good. I added cinnamon to the crumble and subbed half the sugar with brown sugar in the crumb mix.

Helpful

(2)