This strawberry crumble for two is such an easy dessert to make. It can easily be made with fresh or frozen berries, which means you can make the strawberry crumble any time of year!
There is a problem with desserts. When you make one, you have to finish it! This is a problem when it's just two of you. Though we've definitely been guilty of eating an entire batch of cookies or an entire cake by ourselves, it's probably best when we make a small serving that just feeds two. That's why I love this dessert. Perfectly sized for two. And made in little ramekins.
And now let's talk berries! I love fresh berries. So often I prefer them in their raw form -- just wash and eat. That combination of sweetness and tartness most berries have is mouth-watering. But, now and then, I like to cook those little gems up in something. And one of the easiest things? A crumble.
This recipe uses strawberries, but one of the great things about crumbles is that you can use any kind of berries! Even frozen berries. I typically do that when I'm making one in the winter. But in summer, when berries are plentiful and cheap, fresh wins every time.
What is a crumble (or crisp)?
A crumble is also sometimes called a crisp. It's a dessert where fruit is topped with a combination of butter, flour, brown sugar, and oats. This all gets baked in the oven so the top becomes a sugary, crisp topping. The fruit gets soft and sweet and decadent. The combination of the two makes for a delicious, fruit-forward dessert that is a great way to use up leftover fresh or frozen fruit.
Protip for the recipe below: definitely make sure your butter is softened (but not melted) before you try to mix it in with the brown sugar and the oats. It will combine much easier if it is at room temperature!
Ingredients for a Strawberry Crumble:
- Strawberries - You can use fresh or frozen strawberries in this recipe! If using frozen, you may want to add 5 minutes to the cooking time.
- Lemon zest - Lemon zest helps to balance out the sweetness of the strawberries and sugar. Zest is just the outside yellow part of the lemon, grated finely. (I use a microplane to zest!)
- Sugar - Granulated white sugar dissolves perfectly to provide sweetness with the strawberries.
- Cornstarch - The cornstarch helps the strawberries not get too watery and allows a better crumble texture.
- Softened butter - You'll want your butter at room temperature. (Not melted and not frozen or straight from the refrigerator). Room temperature butter will combine best with the ingredients to get that perfect crumble topping.
- Flour - I use all-purpose white flour here to combine with the butter and oats for the crumb topping.
- Oats - This recipe calls for old fashioned oats, but you can use quick oats if that's all you have! The texture will probably just be a little softer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
- Brown sugar - the brown sugar helps provide sweetness to the crumble topping.
- Salt - This recipe uses just a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor.
Recipe Variations:
The nice part about a crumble is you can modify to your tastes! Some delicious variations include-
- Peach - People love peach cobbler, and it works great in a crumble too! If you want to bring in an additional flavor, add some basil!
- Raspberry - I love all things raspberry, and a raspberry crumble would be delicious! I'd also add 1/4 tsp almond extract to the crumble.
- Blackberry - I love the tartness of blackberries! Basil and mint would both pair wonderfully with blackberries for an additional flavor.
- Apple - Yum! If you make an apple crumble, peel the apples and slice into small cubes.
- Mixed berry - Costco sells a giant bag of frozen berries that has raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. I've definitely used that to make mixed berry crumbles!
How to make a Strawberry Crumble:
First preheat the oven, and while your oven is getting nice and hot, prepare the strawberries! Wash them, remove the stems, and cut them into small chunks.
Combine the strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Divide between two ramekins or small baking dishes.
In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, oats, flour, and softened butter. Mix together with a fork until well combined.
Divide the mixture between the two ramekins, topping the strawberries with the mixture. (There may be a bit of leftover mixture).
Pop into the oven and bake! Then remove, cool slightly-- but still eat while warm, and enjoy! Delicious on its own or served with whipped cream or ice cream.
Strawberry Crumble for Two
Ingredients
- 6 medium-large strawberries
- zest of 1/2 medium lemon
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp softened butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp old fashioned oats
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Quarter the strawberries and put into a small bowl.
- Add the lemon zest, granulated sugar, and cornstarch to the bowl and gently stir to combine.
- Divide the strawberry mixture between two small ramekins.
- In another bowl, take the softened butter, flour, brown sugar, oats, and salt and mix together with a fork until completely combined.
- Divide the topping mixture between the two ramekins, making sure to cover all the strawberries.
- Place ramekins onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before eating.
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