Recipe #4

Melt-in-your-mouth, so in season, and dessert... Scone-ish, crumbled toasted sugar, and pops of blueberry. What's not to love? Looking for something in between the more rustic and lowly muffin and the refined elegance of a cupcake? You've found your haven. (I didn't invent this recipe, but it's been an amazing hit all the same.) We picked the blueberries just today then went home and made this amazing piece of heaven. (Fresh organic, and affordable PYO blueberries in New Egypt, NJ, see website: http://www.emerysfarm.com/) That's about as fresh as you can get. Now without further ado, the recipe.

Blueberry Crumble Coffee Cake

- 2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 stick butter, soft not melted

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 3/4 cups sugar

- 1 egg

- 1/4 tsp vanilla

- 3/4 cup milk

- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. First combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, in a large bowl: Cream butter and sugar by beating with an electric mixer. Add cinnamon. Still using mixer, add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Measure the milk and set aside. Then alternately pour the milk and flour mixture into the butter-sugar. (Do not beat with the mixer this time. That'll cause the gluten to chunk up in the batter, causing the cake to become tough and chewy.) Stir in the blueberries. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan and add crumble topping (recipe below).

- 3/4 stick butter, soft not melted

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 cup flour

Combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Chop the butter into about 1/4 inch cubes and mash into flour mixture. Doesn't matter if it isn't fully mixed, chunks are okay. Crumble on top of the raw batter before sticking the pan in the oven. (There should be a relatively thick layer of crumble topping.) Bake for about 40 minutes, checking halfway. 

(Serves 6+)

the finished product