Blueberry Whiskey Crumble

Blueberries and whiskey... yes please!  I like to keep frozen fruit on hand to make smoothies with or throw into some Greek yogurt.  I usually only have one bag at a time, but somehow I ended up with two open bags and a whole bag of blueberries.  So I just decided to make a crumble with them.  I still had a bunch of Piehole Pecan Pie whiskey sitting around after making the Liquored Up Leftover Pie Pops (which you could use with this blueberry crumble!)

I'd been thinking about the movie SLC Punk, so I decided to use a song from the soundtrack - The Suicide Machines' cover of "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden".  -jen

BLUEBERRY WHISKEY CRUMBLE
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time:  50-55 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Serves:  9

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons chilled butter, cubed
• 24oz frozen blueberries, thawed
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon corn starch*
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon whiskey (optional - I used Piehole's Pecan Pie Whiskey)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

*1 tablespoon of corn starch will leave your filling still a little runny - not soupy, but not gelled.  If you're looking for a firmer, gelled filling, use 2 tablespoons of corn starch.  Everyone has their own preferences! 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray an 8"x8" baking dish with non-stick spray, particularly up the sides.

In a food processor, combine oats, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and cubed butter.  Pulse until combined.  Set aside.


In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, cranberries, corn starch, cinnamon, whiskey and vanilla.  Pour into prepared baking dish and spread them into an even layer.  Spoon crumble topping evenly over blueberries, then gently press down with your hands to lightly pack it.  Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes, topping will be golden brown.

Let rest for 10-15 minutes so the filling can set.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

 

Buttermilk Pumpkin and Oat Muffins

I don't have anything to intro with.  I had pumpkin puree in the freezer from last fall when we got a ton of sugar pumpkins from a friend.  I knew I'd be home today.  I felt like making muffins.  They were awesome.  There's not much else to say.

It's St. Patrick's Day... and there's really nothing Irish about these muffins.  I mean, I'm sure they have pumpkins and muffins in Ireland, so they could be Irish.  But that wasn't really my intention or anything.  I'm just going to use it as an excuse for an Irish tune.  Justin had Dropkick Murphys' "Good Rats" on today, so that's what I'm using.  -jen

BUTTERMILK PUMPKIN AND OAT MUFFINS
Prep Time:  20 minutes
Cook Time:  22-25 minutes
Makes:  12 muffins

Topping:

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Muffins:

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins or cranberries
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• zest of 1 orange (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups.

In a small bowl, combine all topping ingredients, mix and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, pecans, raisins, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger,  baking soda, salt and orange zest.  Mix to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together just until dry ingredients are moist.  (Do not over-mix.)

Spoon evenly into paper cups.  Sprinkle with topping and bake for 22-25 minutes, until golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes. 

Pumpkin Custard Crumble

I dove into this recipe with good, healthy intentions.  "Oh... I could do a crust-less pumpkin pie... low sugar, low fat, low carbs..."  Totally had the intention of leaving flour out of the topping and going light on the sugar.  Then... then it turned into something evil and decadent and delicious.  Still went lighter on the sugar than most pumpkin pie recipes would call for but... I crunched the numbers (because I have a sick love of spreadsheets) and they weren't pretty.  Per slice:  230 calories; 8 grams of fat; 31 net carbs; 6g of protein.  Still, healthier for you than a Snickers bar, and better tasting!  Not exactly diet-dessert, but probably a little better for you than most.  I got a ton of sugar pumpkins from a friend, so I made my own puree.  Can't speak for the outcome if you use canned... but I'm sure it'd be fine.

Since Halloween is in less than a week, I've really been getting into the spirit.  We hit up the pumpkin patch today because I love carving jack-o-lanterns.  And I did a last practice run on my Dia de los Muertos calavera (sugar skull) makeup!  So I felt like a song in the graveyard spirit might be in order.  Koffin Kats doing "Graveyard Tree".  -jen

PUMPKIN CUSTARD CRUMBLE  
Prep:  15 minutes
Cook Time:  55-60 minutes

Preparing to roast sugar pie pumpkins.

Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  12 servings

Topping:

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts of choice (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried, ground ginger 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 3 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 24oz canned puree)
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 can (12oz) evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously coat a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a food processor, combine all of the topping ingredients and pulse.  If you don't have a food processor, cut the butter into the flour, then add the remaining ingredients.  Set aside.

In a bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, clove, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl using an electric mixer, beat together pumpkin, brown sugar and eggs.  Add evaporated milk until blended.  Add dry ingredients just until combined. 

Pour batter into prepared baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.  Carefully remove from oven and use a spoon to sprinkle the topping over the top to your desired thickness.  (You can use the back of the spoon to gently pat it into the filling if it looks like it's just resting on a skin.)  Bake an additional 20-25 minutes.  Crust should be golden-brown and a knife inserted into the center should come out clean.  Let cool on a wire cooling rack for an hour.  Refrigerate for storage.