Snackable Berry Bakes
Hi peeps. It’s been a busier than usual couple of weeks, as I dropped my youngest at college in CA and spent many days before that getting his (and my) ducks in a row - both the emotional and logistical ducks, if you must know. I am flying home as I write this and am ready to eagerly embrace baking with berries, while simultaneously putting that proverbial empty-nest-syndrome thing on the back burner, where it can hopefully be ignored for the long term. However, there is one perk (for me and my son) of the Cali living that he will now be doing (and the Cali visiting that I will now be doing). And it is a perk that is not getting back-burner’ed anytime soon: In-n-Out Burgers (double double animal style, for those in the know).
But enough about all the In-n-Out burgers in my future, for we’re here to chat berry slumps, pies and buckles. And let’s begin with my first ever recipe for NYT Cooking (aka the food section of the New York Times). The recipe is for Blackberry Slump and is inspired by a recipe for mixed berry slump from Snackable Bakes. A slump, for the uninitiated, is part of the cobbler and crisp family, save for the fact that slumps are cooked on the stove top.
Essentially, lightly sweetened fruit is cooked in a skillet and then topped with biscuit dough - like something akin to chicken and dumplings. Once covered, the steam from the fruit cooks the biscuits. And because the biscuits here call for heavy cream, the entire shebang takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I’ve always loved slumps, but I might love them even more now that my recipe for one is part of the NYT recipe library AND because it was the “recipe of the day” when it was published last week (okay, still pinching myself, won’t lie).
Oh, and if peeps who write cooking and baking recipes for the NYT is your jam (which I hope it is, since I am now one of those peeps) then you are going to love my conversation with Millie Peartree over on my baking podcast, She’s My Cherry Pie this week. Millie is a prolific NYT recipe developer and she and I go deep on cornbread, amongst other things.
But in addition to berry slumps (and the #1 baking podcast in the country), I also love berry pies - particularly the blueberry one I made at the Bake from Scratch baking retreat earlier this summer, in their gorgeous test kitchen in Birmingham, Alabama.
I love this pie for so many reasons. First, because the crust is made with melted butter, which means it’s easy-peasy to assemble and press into the pan. Second, because the filling is made with just a few ingredients - blueberries being the main one - that you likely already have in your pantry. And finally, because I love a crumb-topped pie, as it means less pie dough-making . . . plus, who doesn’t dig anything made from a combo of flour, sugar and butter?! Below is an image of me making the pie in Birmingham . . . not the sexiest of images, but wanted you to see me in blueberry pie-making action, nevertheless.
In addition to slumps and pies, buckles are high up on my list of beloved berry bakes, too. Buckles are in the coffee cake family and get their fantastic name from the way the fruit buckles over the top of the batter. Truthfully, this particular buckle is a little less-buckle’y and a little more crumb topping-ish - but it is oh-so-easy to assemble and is from Snackable Bakes, which perhaps some of you have at home? The original recipe calls for cranberries, but I adore it with blueberries. You can find the recipe here.
And if you’re interested in watching me make this blueberry buckle - so you can see all this deliciousness in action - check out this video of me doing so.
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Alright my snackable berry baking pals, that’s it for this week. Enjoy the berries and see you soon.
Your slump recipe is featured in the CA NYT newsletter today.....California today! 💙