Blueberry-Pecan Crunch

My family and I became very fond of an older lady we met at our church when I was younger. We adopted Mrs. Dutchie as a grandmother. When we met her she was in her late 80s but you would never know it because of her spunky demeanor and agility.

What my dad loved about Mrs. Dutchie was that she knew as much or more about sports than he did.  Being that my dad has a great sense of humor, they found another bond with her dry sense of humor.

I fell in love with Mrs. Dutchie because she loved to cook. We never left her house without a plate of peanut butter bars and/or a jar of homemade jelly or jam.  She would literally hop right out of her chair as we were getting ready to leave and race towards her jelly and jam pantry.  My dad would get wary when she would scramble up her step ladder to reach the jars on the top shelf.

During blueberry season which occurs in June in Mississippi, she would make her famous blueberry crunch. My family and I would always stop by her house after walking around sampling blueberry treats and shopping for crafts at my town’s blueberry jubilee (festival) because we knew she would have her blueberry crunch waiting for us. One bite and you were in sugar coma, in a very good way.  The dessert brought different layers of textures, flavors, and sweetness.  First you have the blueberry-pineapple gooey, syrupy layer and then the moist, crunchy cake layer and last the toasted, crunchy pecans.  Mrs. Dutchie was sweet enough to share her recipe with me.

Last night on the eve of the blueberry jubilee, I was craving Mrs. Dutchie’s blueberry crunch. At 9:45 last night, I am searching through my cabinets for a box of yellow cake mix, one of the required ingredients.  In the back of my mind I knew there was a good possibility that I would not find one. I did however find a box of butter pecan cake mix.  My culinary wheels begin turning and I think surely this will work because there are pecans in the dessert. The butter pecan cake mix should bring out more of that flavor. I was sold and I also really wanted that dessert.

The other change I made to her recipe was the sugar amount. I cut down the amount of sugar I used in my blueberry-pecan crunch.  Lastly, I love a bit of saltiness in a dessert and especially when nuts are involved; so I sprinkled some coarse salt on top. The end result was nothing less than very berry deliciousness.

Ingredients

• 1 (20-oz.) can crushed pineapple in 100% pineapple juice
• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 pkg. butter pecan cake mix (Yes, a cake mix 🙂 )
• 1 1/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pour the crushed pineapple in the bottom of a large castiron skillet or 13×9-inch glass baking dish. Then evenly distribute the blueberries over the top.
3. Sprinkle the sugar evenly and then the cake mix over the blueberries. Next, pour the melted butter over the top. Be sure to cover all of the cake mix.
4. Lastly, sprinkle on the chopped pecans and coarse salt.
5. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.