Blueberry crumble slice

This slice is an absolute crowd pleaser because there should not be anyone anywhere that does not like berries and/or crumble. Just... why would you not?!

The slice cuts well, a bit crumbly sure, but given the name you'd probably expect that. It's what you came here for! The berry filling adds a nice fruity little zing, and the oats just make everything feel wholesome and healthy. The recipe is versatile too... don't have blueberries? Don't stress - most fruit, combination of fruits, or even jam or curd work really well as a filling. Given it's feijoa season right now, I'm going to be trying them out and I'm pretty damn sure the finished product will be delicious.

Try this

Crumble ingredients:

3 cups oats (I like a mixture of jumbo and rolled, to give the crumble layer some texture but still ensure it holds together well)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 cups plain flour

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp baking powder

275gm butter, melted and cooled

Filling ingredients:

1 450gm pack of frozen blueberries

1/3 cup caster sugar

2 tbsp cornflour

1 orange, zest and juice

Method

Start by defrosting the fruit for the filling (if you're using frozen). You can do this in the microwave (be gentle and don't OVER do it), or by leaving it out on your bench for a couple of hours while you do something else. It's fine if the fruit is still a little bit frozen by the time you go to use it. That's preferable to it being over-microwaved mush!

Heat oven to 170c. Line a slice or brownie tray with baking paper. The size of the tray you use will directly affect the end result in terms of base-to-filling-to-topping ratio, so it can take a bit of trial and error to get the PERFECT tray. I personally like a thick base, so I use a smaller tray.

Make the crumble mixture by combining all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then pour over the melted butter. Give it a good stir through. There should still be a few small patches of dry flour, but that's fine. If you grab a small handful and squeeze it together, it should hold it's shape quite well without crumbling apart.

Separate the mixture in the bowl into approximately 2/3 and 1/3. Pour 2/3 into the lined tray, spread it out, and push down with the back of a spoon or the bottom of a cup to get a nicely flat, firmly packed base. Pop it in the oven and bake it for 15 minutes.

While the base is baking, start on the filling by squeezing any excess water out of the fruit, if you can. Mix the sugar and cornflour through the fruit, then add in the orange zest and juice and stir through. It'll be a bit sticky after adding the juice, but that's ok.

When the base is done, take it out of the over and carefully spread the blueberry filling all the way over, right out to the ends, then take your last 1/3 of crumble mixture and spread it over the blueberries. I like a 'rustic' look, which basically means the filling is totally uneven and some patches have bare fruit while others are thick with topping. Pop the slice back in the oven for another 20 mins. It's ready when the top is golden brown, and the fruit is bubbling through in places.

Cool the slice in the tin on a wire rack, then once it's cool cut it into squares. It keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just grab a slice out when you want one and give it a quick blast in the microwave to make sure it's not cold and hard - weirdly, that's actually just how I like them!

Pro tip: serve squares as an individual dessert portion with a scoop of ice cream on top.