CrockPot Blueberry Buckle Recipe

Day 203.

I picked up a copy of Good Housekeeping's Quick & Simple magazine over the weekend, solely because there was a large headline that read "Oprah's Favorite Summer Treats!"

And I wondered what they could be.

I was tickled when I read that one of Oprah's favorites was a blueberry buckle, or cobbler. I knew that I could find a way to convert this recipe to MY favorite way of being Quick & Simple: I used the CrockPot.

The Ingredients.

This serves 4, in two ramekins that I put inside of a 6qt crockpot. If you'd like to omit the step of adding ramekins and only have a large CrockPot (4qts or larger), double the recipe to serve 8, to ensure that there is enough inside of the crockpot so it won't burn on you. CrockPots work the best when they are at least 2/3 of the way full.

I also cut the sugar content back, and used plain non-fat yogurt instead of buttermilk.

Crumble:

--2 T granulated sugar

--2T dark brown sugar

--1/4 cup of flour (I used Pamela's Baking Mix)

--1/4 t ground cinnamon

--2 T butter, melted

Filling:

--2 cups fresh blueberries (if you do not have access to fresh, use unsweetened frozen)

--1/2 T lemon juice

--1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt

--1/2 cup flour (Pamela's)

--3 T granulated sugar

--1 egg

The Directions.

The original recipe called for three steps, and I found that a bit confusing. They suggested keeping the crumble topping, the filling, and the batter all separate and layering the filling and the batter a few times before adding the crumb topping. I omitted those steps and combined the filling and batter.

This is what I did:

In a large glass bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling, except for the blueberries. Wash and pick any remaining stems off of your blueberries, and then toss them in the bowl with the filling. Set aside.

In a different glass bowl, melt your butter, and add the dry ingredients. Mix. The crumbs will be moist, and crumbly.

If you are using ramekins, place them into the bottom of your crockpot to ensure a proper fit. Spray the ramekins with cooking spray. If you are going to put the batter directly into the crockpot, spray the stoneware with cooking spray.

Put the blueberry filling evenly into the ramekins, or dump directly into your crockpot. Add the crumb topping.

Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours, removing the lid of the crockpot during the last 45 minutes or so to crisp up the topping. This dessert is finished when the crumb topping has set and is no longer dough-y. I cooked ours on high for exactly 4 hours. The crumb topping was set, and was a bit crisp on the outer edges, but remained a bit damp in the center. This didn't bother us, but if you'd like it set a bit more, cook longer.

The Verdict.

Oprah's favorite is now our favorite, too! The blueberries had a perfect mix between sweet and tartness, and the crumb topping was sweet, without being overkill.

I would make this again and again.

I liked the ease of the crockpot for this dish---I got everything assembled and plugged it in during the mid-afternoon. After dinner we cleaned up and went to the park, and then came home to a nice warm bubbly dessert. It was very nice to not be stuck inside on oven-watch.