My mom perpetually stocks her fridge with fresh blueberries. Many mornings, she pours herself a small bowl of cereal, usually something containing bran flakes and granola clusters with some slivered almonds as well, and she drops in a handful of those blueberries after pouring in her vanilla almond milk.
Have you ever added fresh fruit to a bowl of cereal? When you get a bite with everything—that soft, sweet, juicy burst paired with the slightly crisp flakes or crunchy granola clusters and the cold liquid from the milk—oh my yummm. It’s worth rolling out of bed for, every single time!
When the temperatures started rising here in California earlier this month, Mom also began fixing herself one of her favorite summertime treats in the evenings with that same fruit: berries athenaeum. It’s one of the dessert options on the menu at the Athenaeum, a club-style restaurant owned by the college in southern California where she completed her undergraduate degree, and it’s very simple and straightforward.
Add vanilla bean ice cream to a bowl, top with fresh berries, and, if desired, drizzle that with a little Grand Marnier and finish with a cookie, traditionally a classic hazelnut pirouline.
Mom generally sticks to the ice cream and berries… And after bringing a coworker to the Athenaeum a few years ago for dinner during one of their business trips to the college, that sweet lady started making berries athenaeum at home too!
So when I gave Mom and Dad this Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Crumble last Friday, she topped her first slice with vanilla ice cream, just like with her favorite easy dessert. And by the end of the weekend, every last crumb had disappeared from the pan!
But since the crumble contained no refined flour or sugar… And a full serving of fruit in every slice… And just 127 calories… My parents didn’t feel guilty about that at all!
To make this healthy crumble, you’ll start with the topping. It’s super simple! Just whole wheat flour, old-fashioned oats, and cinnamon held together with a little sweetener and melted butter. Yes, melted butter! Traditional recipes require you to cut cold, cubed butter into that mixture, but… That takes more effort. (And makes my muslces tired, especially if I already finished an arm workout earlier in the day! 😉 ) It’s much easier to stir in melted butter, so we’re doing that instead!
As for the sweetener, you’ll use pure maple syrup instead of granulated or brown sugar. Be sure to use the real kind! Avoid pancake syrup; that can behave differently in baking recipes. The only ingredient on the label should be “pure maple syrup.” It’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs, like this.
For the fruit, both fresh and frozen blueberries will work! This means that it’s completely possible to enjoy this crumble all year round… Which makes me one very happy girl. Fruit crumbles are one of my favorite desserts because they’re basically healthy enough for breakfast! Lots of fruit + “granola” topping made of wholesome ingredients = breakfast food, right?? (Just say yes!)
Because the blueberries release lots of juice while baking, you’ll mix them with cornstarch before adding them to the pan. The cornstarch thickens those juices, especially while the crumble cools, so it’s very important to let the crumble cool completely to room temperature before serving so the cornstarch can do its thing. If you prefer eating your crumble warm, I still highly recommend letting it cool completely, then reheating individual portions!
And topped with a little vanilla ice cream… Or, umm, how about vanilla frozen Greek yogurt for breakfast?…
Pure bliss. And when you bake this, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees that I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy blueberry crumble!
The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Crumble
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (75g) old-fashioned oats (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¼ cup (30g) whole wheat flour or millet* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter, melted
- 6 cups (840g) blueberries (see Notes!)
- 3 tbsp (24g) cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the topping, whisk together the oats, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the maple syrup and melted butter. Stir until fully incorporated.
- To prepare the filling, toss the blueberries with the cornstarch in a large bowl until completely coated.
- Transfer the filling to the prepared pan, and sprinkle evenly with the topping. (The topping tends to clump, so break it up into really small pieces!) Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until the juice is bubbling at the sides of the pan. Cool completely to room temperature; then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving to allow the juices to fully thicken.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Blueberry Almond Crumble
♡ Healthy Peach Crumble
♡ Healthy Almond Berry Crumble
♡ Healthy Strawberry Poppy Seed Crumble
♡ Healthy Blueberry Mango Crumble
♡ Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Crumbles
This is excellent; not overly sweet; I did add 2T sugar to the blueberries and corn starch as our berries are a bit more tart this year. It came out great with vegan butter and gluten-free all,purpose flour; it would be very good in a yogurt parfait with a few sliced strawberries. Thanks for the recipe!