Tundra Blueberry Buckle

by Millie Bentley

Greetings. What to do with all those beautiful blueberries that folks have been picking this summer besides putting them in akutaq, of course. You can make this delightful dessert which was prepared by Diana Gamez of Anchorage and served warm with ice cream. It is delicious and meets our KISS criteria: keep it simple, sweetheart. The blueberries from our beloved tundra home are wild and tart and so good, so if you have a few cups of blueberries from your picking excursions, give this a try, but don’t ask me why it’s called “buckle”.
Blueberry Buckle
½ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
½ cup milk
2 cups flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries
cinnamon crumbs (recipe follows)
Thoroughly cream together shortening and sugar. Add egg and mix well. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
Pour batter into a well-greased 11 1/2 –inch by 7-inch by 1 ½ -inch baking pan. Top with blueberries; sprinkle cinnamon crumbs over berries. Bake at 350˚F for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm.
Cinnamon Crumbs
½ cup sugar
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup butter, finely cubed
Mix together dry ingredients; cut in the butter until it’s the size of a split pea. Can be stored in the fridge for a week or so.
Hope you like it. We published it last year around fall time but here it is again for you to make and enjoy. Until next week, dear friends, vaya con Dios.