Recipe Test Drive: Blueberry Buckle

Do you ever buy aspirational groceries? Then eventually realize all your (long forgotten) kale is just wilting away in the fridge? And that buying those greens did NOT change your eating habits one iota?

I do, all the damn time, and last week was no different. Faced with the impending doom of an untouched pint of blueberries, I started looking for ways to transform the fruit into... well...

Into pastry.

Considering my options, I liked the idea of baking a "buckle" because it fell somewhere between what I really wanted (full blown pie) and what I was actually motivated to make (next to nothing). The internet is full of blueberry buckle recipes -- I chose this one because it seemed straightforward and I already had all the ingredients on-hand. 

Intentional substitutions:

Whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose

Oat milk instead of regular

Lemon juice instead of zest

Accidental changes:

I screwed up the streusel by using melted the butter instead of softened/room temp. Mine turned out wet and pasty, the recipe said it should be crumbly.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY!

The result:

Basically, I made a perfect coffee cake! Thanks to that mess-up with the crumble topping, my blueberry buckle maintained a ton of moisture which, in turn, actually helped keep the cake soft and chewy. Happy accident :)

I would try it again with white flour, traditional milk, and add vanilla extract. Maybe even double the blueberries (or mix in other berries).

SORRY, NOT THE BEST PHOTO, BUT I HAD TO GET THAT CROSS-SECTION SHOT.

Let me know if you give this dessert a try!

Do you have a go-to recipe for when your fruit is about to pass its prime?

Image credit (top): Wife Mama Foodie