Bake

Blueberry Cocoa Crumble

by:
July  7, 2021
5
13 Ratings
Blueberry Cocoa Crumble
Photo by James Ransom Prop Stylist: Andrea Foti Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Orange blossom water and honey highlight blueberries’ natural floral aroma. Then—bam! pow!—a bitter, crunchy black cocoa streusel adds punchy contrast. I love black cocoa because it makes everything taste like Oreos, but if you don’t have it, swap in what’s around: Natural cocoa will be mild and fruity, while Dutch-processed cocoa will make the crumble deeply chocolatey. Try this with a drizzle of cold cream for that dunked-in-milk vibe. Crumbles are one of those rare desserts that give you some room to groove—check out my article here to learn all the ways you can make this recipe your own, and be sure to try my Nectarine & Pistachio Crumble, too.
—Sohla El-Waylly

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Blueberry Cocoa Crumble
Ingredients
  • Fruit Filling
  • 1,000 grams (about 5½ cups) fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed if frozen), from about 4 pints
  • 100 grams (5 tablespoons) light honey (like clover or wildflower), plus more if needed
  • 20 grams (2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons) tapioca starch or cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon rose or orange blossom water
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more if needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Black Cocoa Crumble
  • 1 1/4 cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup (130 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup (70 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup (20 grams) black, Dutch-processed, or natural cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 10 tablespoons (140 grams) room-temperature unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • Heavy cream, whipped cream, crème fraîche, or ice cream, to serve (optional)
Directions
  1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat to 350°F.
  2. In a large bowl, using a stiff rubber spatula, toss the berries, honey, starch, flower water, lemon juice, and salt until well combined. Taste and add more honey and lemon juice if desired. (If using frozen and thawed berries, be sure to include all the juices.) Scrape into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 2- to 3-quart baking dish.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, oats, cocoa, salt, and baking powder until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the butter and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it holds together in large clumps when squeezed in your palms. (Alternatively, pulse together in a food processor or use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer to mix the butter into the flour mixture until it holds together in large clumps, about 1 minute.)
  4. Clump and scatter the cocoa crumble over the berry mixture. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake the crumble until you see the berry mixture bubbling along the edges of the dish (or in the center of the dish if you used cornstarch), 50 to 60 minutes.
  5. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving with heavy cream, whipped cream, crème fraîche, or ice cream, if desired.
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Sohla El-Waylly
Sohla El-Waylly is a Food52 Resident, sharing new riffable recipes every month that'll help you get creative in the kitchen. Watch her cook on YouTube in her new series, Off-Script With Sohla. Before she started developing fun recipes for home cooks, she worked as a chef in N.Y.C. and L.A., briefly owning a restaurant in Brooklyn with her husband and fellow chef, Ham El-Waylly. She lives in the East Village with Ham, their two dogs, and cat. Find out what else she's up to on Instagram @sohlae

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10 Reviews

Hannah
Hannah March 3, 2024
I always knew blueberries went with chocolate. They also work well with peanut butter! Yes this was delicious.
 
Jul
Jul April 17, 2023
I had no idea cocoa and blueberries would be so delic together, but they are! I did not have enough blueberries so tossed in some raspberries, vanilla extract. Next time will throw some sliced almonds into the crisp to make it more crispy. This was very good esp with some vanilla ice cream. Very good!
 
lil
lil February 25, 2023
Very rich and delicious, omg. I used frozen blueberries and it worked well. Unusual and appreciated flavors. Thanks Sohla <3
 
PNW B.
PNW B. May 30, 2022
A delicious dish. A detail in the recipe, though, should be reviewed. At the top of the recipe, we read, "COOK TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes”. Then, however, Step 4 directs the cook, "Bake . . . 50 to 60 minutes.” Something there requires a clarification.
 
Stefanie A.
Stefanie A. March 18, 2022
LOVED this recipe so much! Used farmer's market blackberries that I froze in July. Used almond extract in lieu of rose or orange blossom water. Used Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Wonderful combination! The sweetness level is just right. The cocoa is amazing with the blackberries. Love Sohla!
 
courttan
courttan October 19, 2021
It's the perfect combination of flavors, it's great that you can use frozen for baking not during summer. Now I know what to do with the orange blossom water I have! Was gone very quickly.
 
Ahorenstein
Ahorenstein July 19, 2021
I made the recipe mostly as given (blueberries and chocolate) and it was amazing. The only switch was using vanilla for orange blossom water. Served with homemade whip cream. Rave reviews from everyone! Love Sohla's recipes!
 
PK B.
PK B. July 7, 2021
I made a fresh cherry crumble with the orange blossom water and chocolate crumble (regular cocoa powder). All other ingredients as in the recipe. It was fantastic.
 
Berryberry
Berryberry July 2, 2021
My crumble used cherries and apricots with an almond topping. Next 5ime I'll try some of Sohla's flavor suggestions. Very interested in orange blossom water!
 
Shepford8
Shepford8 June 30, 2021
Loved the boulders of cocoa crumbles. Used dutch processed cocoa and the chocolate flavor competed a bit with the berries. Will definitely try again with dark cocoa. Might add a touch more tapioca starch too.