Summertime florals and berries make the perfect dessert like this blackberry lavender crumble. It has a fruity and slightly floral bite with a crunchy and buttery top. What I love about crumbles is the simplicity and ease of making them throughout the summer. As a result, you get to spend more time enjoying the outdoors rather than being in the kitchen.
Crumbles are a comforting treat and are particularly popular in the fall, with the classic apple crisp. But they can also be exciting and fun by just playing around with new fruits, nuts, and spices. With the abundance of fresh fruit in the summer the options are endless to try new flavours.
Baking with Lavender
Lavender has to be one of my favourite herbs to bake and experiment with. I always find the combination of lavender and blackberry a lovely paring that compliments each other, like in this blackberry lavender crumble. But lavender is no stranger to the culinary world. It is probably most famous for Herbes de Provence; a blend of rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender. It’s used frequently in French dishes, cheeses, salads, and baking. Getting the amount just right is the trick, too much lavender and you might feel like you’re eating your grandmother’s soap or not enough and you’ll never know it’s even there! If it’s you’re first time using lavender be patient with the amount and take note, as some buds are stronger in flavour than others. And remember you need to rub the buds to release the oils in order to bring out the beautiful delicate floral flavours.
Crumble Varieties
There’s no question that crumbles are a versatile dessert, easy and loved by all. More so, it makes the perfect dessert to play and try new flavour combinations. It’s easy to add fresh new fruit to your favourite crumble or if you have extra fruit laying around that needs to be used. Here are some new ideas for you to try;
- Stone fruit variations; peaches, plums, apricots
- Mixed berries; black raspberries, mulberries, blueberries
- Cherry Almond
- Pear and Apple
- Strawberry Apple
Nuts are also a great addition to crumble toppings. I prefer them roughly chopped so you get a nice crunch. Try adding pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews or hazelnuts to your next crumble topping.
You can also try adding herbs to introduce a new flavour like; rosemary, basil, thyme and of course lavender! Spices can be fun too! There’s the traditional cinnamon and nutmeg, but try adding a little heat with some chilli flakes or adding citrus notes; lemon zest, orange zest or even rose extract. The options are endless, have fun and try something new and exciting.
Blackberry Lavender Crumble
This blackberry lavender crumble is juicy, fruity and has a slightly floral bite with a crunchy and buttery top. Top with ice cream and enjoy this classic crumble with a twist all summer long.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 9x9 baking dish 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: South African
Ingredients
filling
- 400 g Blackberries (approx. 3 containers)
- 150 g Blueberries (approx. 1 small container, 1 cup)
- 1 Large Granny Smith apple; peeled, chopped (approx. 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon dried culinary lavender
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- lemon juice
Topping
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ËšF. Set aside a 9 x 9 baking dish.
- In a bowl add sugar and lavender together. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, rub sugar and lavender together to release the oils. Do this for about 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Peel, and core apple. Chop apple into chunks and rub lemon juice over the apple so it doesn’t brown.
- Add blackberries, blueberries and chopped apple to your baking dish.
- Add lavender sugar and flour to your berry mixture and stir together until all the berries and apples are coated. Spread fruit out evenly and set aside.
- Make your topping. In a large bowl add butter, flour and brown sugar together. Using your fingers rub the flour, butter and sugar together until it forms large crumbs. Sprinkle topping on fruit to cover the entire dish.
- Bake in the oven for approx. 25 minutes or until juices are bubbling and the topping has browned.
- Let cool on a cooling rack for 8-10 minutes before serving.
- Sprinkle extra lavender buds on top of the baked crumble or on individual bowls.
- Serve with ice cream and enjoy.
Notes
Crumble will last 3-4 days stored in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving of 9
- Calories: 234
- Sugar: 19.9g
- Sodium: 76mg
- Fat: 10.7g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 34.3g
- Fiber: 3.7g
- Protein: 2.9g
- Cholesterol: 27mg
FAQ’s
Yes, lavender is no stranger to the culinary world.  It is probably most famous for Herbes de Provence; a blend of rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender. It’s used frequently in French dishes, cheeses, salads, and baking.
There are hundreds of varieties of lavender and the majority are safe to eat. But it’s best to cook and bake with English lavender varieties such as Lavandula, Angustifolia, Hidcote, Munstead, and Lady Lavender.
Yes, crumbles can be easily made the night before. You can serve the blackberry crumble the next day at room temperature or heat in the oven at 375ËšF for 20 minutes or until warm.
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