Baking it Old School: Blueberry Buckle

What in the world is a buckle?   Trusting wikipedia to give me the truth about this strange name for a baked good, I found out that the buckle is in the cobbler family.   Oh yes.   There is a family of Cobblers that includes not only the Buckle, but the Betty, the Grump, the Slump and the Sonker.

 

I'm not sure about how I feel about the Grump, but I think the Sonker is an awesome name for a dessert.   Just tell your friends that you're bringing your world-famous Sonker and you're guaranteed to get their attention. 

 

This recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens and it first appeared in their cookbooks in the 1940s.   A 70+ year success rate with this recipe means that it is pretty much fool-proof.   No crazy hard-to-find ingredients.   No special equipment.  Without even planning, you may have all the ingredients in your pantry already.   And if you don't have blueberries, you can make this with other fruits.    You can buckle how you want to.   Time to get on it. 

 

 

What You Need

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (if you use frozen, you don't even have to thaw them)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

 

What You Do

Preheat the oven to 350.   Use a 9x9x2 pan, I use either a silicone pan, or a metal one lined with foil for easy cleanup.   Spray your pan with cooking spray.

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside. 

 

Beat shortening with a n electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds.  Add the 2/4 cup of sugar.   Beat on medium/high speed until fluffy.   Add egg and beat well.   Add dry mixture and milk alternating to the shortening/sugar/egg mixture, beating until smooth.    Spoon batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with blueberries.

 

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.   Cut in butter until crumbly.   I usually use two knives to cut in the butter, but if you have an official pastry cutter, you can use that too.   Sprinkle over the berries and bake for 50-60 minutes until golden.

 

You can either serve it warm straight out of the pan, or let it cool and slice it into squares for a traveling buckle (your co-workers will be happy if you take your buckle on the road...true story).