Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits, not only because they are delicious, but they are full of anti-oxidants. They are also versatile since they can easily be tossed into a variety of breakfast and dessert recipes. This Blueberry Lemon Crumble is healthy enough to eat for breakfast, yet can also be a delicious dessert on its own, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
When I saw that my grocery store was running a sale on a 6-pint carton of blueberries, I made sure to pick one up. Originally, I had planned on freezing them to use when making oatmeal. This is super easy to do. Just toss a handful of the frozen berries into a bowl with 1/2 cup of oats and 1 cup of water, then microwave it for a minute and a half for quick-cooking oats, or two and a half minutes for old-fashioned (rolled) oats.
But then the reality of my limited freezer space set in. I wouldn’t be able to fit all 6 pints in there, so I started searching up blueberry baking recipes. I also wanted to include lemon essential oil, but could not find a recipe that hit me.
After a little bit of tinkering, I came up with this recipe. The filling does not have any sugar in it, so it lets the blueberry flavor shine through. The crumble on top is made with honey instead of sugar, giving it just the right amount of sweetness.
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There isn’t much liquid used in this recipe, so the filling is not drippy. I chose to use lemon essential oil instead of lemon juice to give it a bit of tart flavor without it being overwhelming. I use the Young Living brand Lemon Vitality Oil because it is pure; a little goes a long way!
If you are interested in purchasing Young Living Lemon Vitality Oil and would like to become a member so that you can get the wholesale discounted price, click here. (Disclosure: This is my Young Living Distributor link.)
I also found the topping easier to mix since it uses melted butter instead of softened butter, as it distributed evenly throughout the oat mixture.
After mixing up the crumble in one bowl, use a second bowl to toss the blueberries with cornstarch, water, and lemon essential oil (or lemon juice).
Add the blueberry filling to a lightly greased 8″x8″ pan, and then top with the crumble mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Let it cool on a rack to room temperature. Then put in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours so that the filling can set. If you can’t resist the temptation that long, it will still taste delicious, just a little runnier.
I have been eating this on its own for breakfast, or with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream for dessert. It has just the right amount of sweetness to make it feel like a treat without being overly cloying. Perfect for a warm summer day!
Blueberry Lemon Crumble
Equipment
- 8"x8" baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
- ½ cup all purpose flour (You may substitute other types of flour.)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (3 pints)
- 2 tbsp water (If using frozen blueberries, do not use water.)
- 8 drops lemon essential oil or 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar (optional) for the filling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8"x8" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix together the oats, flour, and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Make a well in the center.
- Add the honey and melted butter into the well, and stir with a spoon until it is evenly mixed.
- In a large bowl, gently toss the blueberries with the water, lemon essential oil or lemon juice, and cornstarch until the berries are coated. (If you are using frozen blueberries, do not add the water.)
- Put the blueberry mixture into the prepared baking pan. Drop heaping spoonfuls of the oat mixture on top so that it covers the berries completely.
- Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes. Put a baking sheet on the rack below just in case any of the filling bubbles over. The crumble topping will be a golden brown.
- Cool the pan on a cooling rack until it comes to room temperature. Then cover loosely with plastic wrap, and put the pan into the refrigerator for at least 3 hours so the filling can set.
Notes
- If you are short on blueberries, you can make this with 2 pints of blueberries. Reduce the water to 1 tablespoon and the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons.
- If you prefer your filling to be sweeter, like blueberry pie filling, you may add between 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
- If you are using frozen blueberries, increase the baking time to 55 minutes.
- This recipe, without the added sugar in the filling, is 6 points per serving on the WW blue plan.
- Store this in the pan, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.
What is your favorite blueberry recipe? Tell me in the comment section below.
7 Responses
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it with my lemon vitality oil!!
I think that the other citrus vitality oils would also be a nice complement to the blueberries.
The recipe sounds so delicious and I love that it is on the healthier side. I have never thought about using lemon essential oil in my baking, very interesting. I am excited to try it!
I find that essential oils give my baked goods a depth of flavor, without watering them down.
This recipe looks so simple to make. I will definitely have to give it a go.
I did not know that Young Living essential oils are food grade – that’s a fantastic ingredient idea for baking! Thanks for sharing that tip.
All of the Young Living oils from their Vitality line are edible. Those oils are in 5 mL bottles, but the most are also available in 15 mL bottles. The larger bottles are not marked as Vitality, but contain the same exact oil inside and therefore are also edible. I keep a dozen of the edible oils in my kitchen and add a few drops to my water bottle every day.