the ultimate berry crumble

Desserts

The Ultimate Berry Crumble

This berry crumble recipe may berry well be my favorite summer dessert, with the perfect balance of sweet to tart, tender to crisp, and fruit to crumble. I don't tack the word ultimate onto just any recipe. Some ice cream on the side is highly recommended.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup white sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine salt
¾ cup frozen unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, or as needed
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
⅓ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Make crumble: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Grate in frozen butter, stopping occasionally to toss butter into flour mixture until coated.
Stir in egg yolks and vanilla with a fork until egg is mostly absorbed. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar; mix briefly. Use your hands to finish mixing, squeezing until clumps form, but mixture remains mostly dry. Add more vinegar if needed. Set crumble aside.
Make filling: Combine blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in another large bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cayenne pepper. Mix until well combined and sugar and cornstarch are mostly dissolved.
Place about 1/2 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Press mixture down using a flat cup until well compacted. Spread berry filling on top. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over berries, squeezing some of the crumble into clumps.
Bake in the preheated oven until top is beautifully browned and berry filling bubbles, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving, about 30 minutes.