Okay, so I’ve been seeing huckleberries pop up everywhere lately, and I finally caved and bought a bunch. I decided to go all-in on huckleberry desserts, because, why not? My plan, make some treats!
First Try: Huckleberry Muffins
I started with something I figured would be easy – muffins. I grabbed a basic muffin recipe online (you know, the kind your grandma probably uses) and just swapped out blueberries for huckleberries. I mixed all the dry stuff – flour, sugar, baking powder, you name it – in one bowl. Then, I whisked together the wet ingredients: milk, eggs, melted butter.
I poured the wet stuff into the dry stuff, mixed it all up until it was just combined (don’t overmix!), and then gently folded in the huckleberries. I scooped the batter into muffin tins and baked them at, like, 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. They smelled amazing!
The result? Pretty good! The muffins were moist and the huckleberries gave them a nice, tart flavor. But, I felt like the huckleberry flavor could have been stronger.
Next Up: Huckleberry Pie Filling
Feeling a little more confident, I decided to tackle a pie filling. This time, I wanted to really make the huckleberries the star. I found a recipe online that used a lot of huckleberries and not much else – just some sugar, a little lemon juice, and some cornstarch to thicken it up.
I dumped the huckleberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a saucepan and cooked it all down over medium heat. It started to get all bubbly and juicy, which was exactly what I wanted. Then I mixed the cornstarch with a little water to make a slurry and stirred that in. I let it simmer for a few more minutes until it was nice and thick.
- One lesson is better more huckleberries, sugar.
- Another lesson is more lemon juice.
- And stir that in, simmer for a few minutes until nice and thick.
This filling was awesome! The huckleberry flavor was super intense, and the lemon juice gave it a nice zing. I haven’t made the actual pie crust yet, but I’m already planning on using this filling for it. I might even just eat it with a spoon – it’s that good.
Final Thoughts (For Now!)
So, my huckleberry dessert adventure is off to a pretty good start. I’ve learned that you really need to use a lot of huckleberries to get that strong flavor, and that a little lemon juice goes a long way. I’m already thinking about what I want to try next – maybe a huckleberry cobbler? Or some huckleberry ice cream? The possibilities are endless!
