I grew up picking huckleberries…
They are quite the treasure in Montana – they are absolutely delicious and as a kid, it was a total treat. If you’ve never tried one, they’re rather like a mini blueberry of sorts with a more unique flavor. They also are difficult to pick. In Montana they grow wild, high in the mountains where the bears are. So you have to be quite determined to go out picking.
Perhaps they were also a treasured treat because they take forever to pick. They are so tiny, it can take hours to fill a bucket! So that also means that they are expensive to buy.
My favorite way we enjoyed them growing up was a sprinkle of a few over homemade vanilla ice cream. My mom was always getting creative with ways to “stretch” our little stash in the summer. For example, we certainly could not blend a whole bag of them up in a milkshake!
Huckleberries had to be the featured ingredient…
I realized this summer that I haven’t shared a huckleberry recipe…. crazy, I thought. Couldn’t help but develop a recipe that took me back to my childhood. No better way than a crisp! The huckleberries in this huckleberry plum vanilla crisp certainly make it special. This time I picked them up fresh at the farmers market in Portland for ease. I love the addition of plums – it makes the perfect base.
I highly recommend a little dollop of ice cream on this, or homemade whipped cream or even just a splash of cream. It’s the perfect treat after a long day.
Have a great weekend, friends!
CK
Huckleberry Plum Vanilla Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 large dark plums thinly sliced
- 280 g 2 ½ cups huckleberries, separated
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest finely grated
- 3 oz. ⅓ cup wildflower honey warmed
- 2 teaspoons elderflower syrup optional
Topping
- 45 g ⅓ cup buckwheat flour
- 57 g ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- 32 g ¼ cup (packed) brown sugar
- 81 g 1 cup gluten free old-fashioned oats, divided
- ½ cup 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add 2 cups huckleberries, arrowroot and salt. With a rubber spatula, gently stir until coated being careful not to crush the berries. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add butter, vinegar, zest, warm honey and syrup. Drizzle over huckleberry mixture and gently fold in with a spatula to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- In a food processor, pulse flour, nuts, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and ¾ cup oats in a food processor to blend. Pulse in butter until no dry spots remain. Transfer to a bowl and work in remaining ¼ cup oats with your fingers.
- Grease pan.. A standard 8x8 pan or small cast iron skillet will work. I used a vintage pan, 10” x 6.5” x 2.5”.
- Layer bottom of pan with plums.
- Stir huckleberry mixture one last time. Pour over plums evenly.
- Top with crumble topping.
- Bake in oven at 375 for 50-65 minutes or until berries are bubbling and topping is lightly browned. Remove and cool. Store in fridge and enjoy within 1-3 days. It’s totally delicious with ice cream!
