When the following recipe hit my inbox, I knew I had to try it.
Emailed by a loyal reader of Inn Cuisine, not only did it come with glowing recommendations, but after reading the ingredient list I was struck with the following question, “Is it a crisp, or a crumble?” To answer that question, I knew I had no choice but to make the recipe and find out for myself. Am I ever glad I did.
Made using 1 can of crushed pineapple, 3 cups of fresh blueberries, 1 box of yellow cake mix, sugar, butter, English walnuts and lemon juice, I was able to put this recipe together in about 15 minutes. After approximately 1 hour of baking time, I got my answer: this is a definitely a crunch. Balancing precariously between the worlds of traditional fruit crisps and fruit crumbles, the term crunch, as it turns out, is indeed a happy compromise. Regardless of the fact granola or Cracker Jack typically come to mind when I hear the term crunch, this dessert exhibits the best of both worlds. Who could complain about that?
Perfect for serving at home or to guests of a bed and breakfast inn, the following pictorial provides a mouth-watering glimpse of what awaits you. One word though: the following in no way conveys the tantalizing aroma this dessert gives off while baking. It’s both comforting and hunger inducing at the same time, and will give you dessert cravings you never imagined.
Ready to hit the kitchen?
Blueberry Walnut Crunch
(recipe from Inn Cuisine, as submitted by a reader)
Serves 8+
- 1 (16 ounce) can crushed pineapple (no sugar added, do not drain)
- 3 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided (I suggest using 1/4 cup granulated white sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 box yellow cake mix, your favorite brand (sifted if necessary)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 heaping cup English walnuts (coarsely chopped and toasted lightly prior to use)
Spray a 13×9″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread entire contents of crushed pineapple (juice and all) evenly over the bottom of baking dish. In a medium-sized bowl, toss blueberries with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and lemon juice, coating well. Layer blueberry mixture over the crushed pineapple base. Next, sprinkle dry cake mix evenly on top of the fruit layers. Drizzle melted butter on cake mix. Sprinkle walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup (brown) sugar over top. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 50-60 minutes, or until topping becomes light golden brown. Note – after the Blueberry Walnut Crunch has baked about 20 minutes, punch holes throughout (using a butter knife) to the bottom of the dish to allow juices to rise to the top. Allow to cool slightly, serve warm or at room temperature.
This dessert makes a great accompaniment to vanilla ice cream or frozen vanilla yogurt. Enjoy!
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I can’t wait for our blueberry bushes to start producing so I can spoil our guests with this great recipe!
That looks fantastic.
Oh wow, how very lovely is that! Absolutely mouthwatering. Love the crunch part.
I’ve never been super clear on the crisp vs crumble thing myself (throw cobblers in there, too), so a crunch sounds good to me! That looks delicious and I never would have thought to pair pineapple w/blueberry!
Mike – Funny you should mention that, as I wouldn’t pair pineapple and blueberry together either (although raspberries…definitely raspberries, which you could substitute here as well). Strangely enough, aside from the odd pairing of flavors, the pineapple and blueberry combo work well in this crunch—due mostly to the other co-mingling of flavors. It’s almost as if this dessert needs that contrast to really shine. Interesting how bending the rules (so to speak) can sometimes work. (PS—click those links within this post to learn more on crisp/crumble/cobbler/etc. definitions.)
Noble Pig – The crunch part is the best part, imho.
Mental P Mama – Thank you!
Mary Jo – I would love to have blueberry bushes on our property. To be able to walk out the door and pick my own berries would be divine!
What a stunning photo. I can taste that Blueberry Walnut Crunch. Yummy!
oh sandie. oooh sandie. i love the combination of blueberries and pineapple, and any type of crumbly topping is full of win in my book. this is beautiful to behold and would surely be a joy to eat.
I just love blueberries and would never have thought to pair them with pineapples. That “crunch” looks just fabulous.
Looks and sounds really delicious! Can’t wait to try this myself.
Ooh my favourite glasses and I think I would be too busy enjoying it to ask whether it is a crumble or a crisp!
Looks absolutely delicious Sandie!
This is my kind of dessert. I would take a “crunch” over a chocolate recipe any day. I can’t wait to make this over the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Wouldn’t even have considered a recipe with pineapple…..but this is just….FABULOUS…. and once again your photos do it proud.
Wow! This look incredible! I love blueberries!!!
This looks great! I love the combination of blueberries and walnuts.
This blueberry and walnut crunch sounds so good!
Don’t you love it when readers share their recipes? It’s such a generous act! I got the best-ever lemon curd recipe from a reader.
Regardless of what it’s called, I want some. The addition of pineapple is so unexpected but definitely welcome if you ask me.
This is GREAT! We were invited to a neighbor’s for dinner Friday evening. This blueberry crunch was a quick and delicious addition to our wonderful dinner. Our ‘neighbor’ just happens to be a well known chef from the Buckhead area of Atlanta so bringing something along for him to try is to me a bit intimidating….
Strange as it sounds, I do not like fresh blueberries, but I love Wymans frozen blueberries (I think they are Maine blueberries). Could I use these instead? How would I go about it? Thank you!
Margaret – You could definitely substitute frozen blueberries for fresh here if you prefer. My advice? Don’t thaw them first; here, or in any recipe for baked goods (muffins, coffee cakes, etc). If you add/use blueberries from a completely frozen state, they are less likely to run and turn everything blue. Granted, you wouldn’t really have that problem here, but this is just something to keep in mind with other baking recipes. Thanks for your question. I hope that helps!
I have made cobbler (peach) using cake mix. Everybody has different taste, but i find using cake mix, even though it’s easy, is too sweet for me.
I use 2 c. sr flour, 3/4 stick butter, 1/2 c. pecans to make crust. Then blueberry (home-made) pie filling, then pineapple-cream cheese-whipped topping mixture, then sprinkle top w/ 1/2 c. pecans toasted. Crust has to be baked before topping w/rest.
I made this for my 4th of July cook-out and it was delicious. Very easy to make. I mistakenly used pineapple in light syrup and it came out fine – not too sweet as the blueberries really take center stage. Thanks!
This recipe is absolutely wonderful! I made it last week for the first time. One of my older sons was home and had brought a friend. We all enjoyed it, and I put the the rest in the fridge, thinking I would take it to the office the next day. Wrong, the boys ate ALL of it during the night. Now, I am making it again for a dinner after church tomorrow!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!