Blaeberry Bites

Blaeberries

Once again, the sun has been shining on Scotland. We've also had plenty of rain, as we always do. This combination makes for some wonderfully juicy Blaeberries and an excuse to blog.

Coming from part-Yorkshire stock, I grew up calling these Bilberries, but I now usually use the Scottish term. Around the UK these are called many different things, including Wortleberry and Whinberry. Whatever you call them, they are delicious - and here they are plentiful.

In a previous blog, I made a Blaeberry Pie, which is also worth checking out. This time I decided to make some bite-size Blaeberry snacks, so that I could share them with my colleagues.

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen and I haven't changed it, other than using Blaeberries instead of Blueberries.

Blaeberry Bites

Ingredients

• 4 cups Blaeberries
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tsp cornflour
• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 225g cold, unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 and a half cups of sugar

Method

• Preheat oven to 190°C
• Mix together the lemon zest, salt, 1 cup of sugar, flour, butter and egg to make a flaky dough.
• Press half of this mixture into a baking tin or casserole dish
• Mix blaeberries with remaining sugar, lemon juice and cornflour
• Spoon blaeberry mixture over the dough in the tin/dish
• Top with crumbled pieces of the pastry
• Bake for 45 mins or until golden brown on top
• Allow to cool in fridge overnight
• Slice into sections and keep refrigerated until you eat them (not for long, I'd imagine)

Until we meet again (hopefully soon) - Good Foraging! Xx

Baked Blaeberry Crumble - ripe and ready for slicing