Tastes of Summer ~ Blueberry Plum Cups

Blueberry Plum Cups, fresh from the oven

Blueberry Plum Cups

Can you ever have enough fruit? Here are little pastries that as fun to make as they are to eat. Sliced juicy plums and blueberries dressed up in a crispy cookie crust, these delightful rustic cups make breakfasts, snacks, and desserts extra special. 

Prep 45 minutes 

Bake 30 minutes

Makes 12 to 18, depending on dough thickness

¾ cup dates, pitted, cut in pieces, and heated to soften

2 cups rolled oats plus 3 tablespoons

⅜ cup slivered almonds

4 very ripe black plums, pitted and cut in ¼” slices

3 cups frozen blueberries, defrosted

1 tablespoon date sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon corn starch

¼ teaspoon ground vanilla beans (vanilla powder with no additives or sweeteners)

Garnish with a small dollop of soy crème fraîche from 1 cup soy yogurt, strained

1. To make soy crème fraîche for a garnish, line a strainer with a small square of muslin, suspended over a bowl. Spoon the yogurt on top and refrigerate. The strained yogurt will release its whey to become a creamy crème fraîche by the time the cups are ready to serve.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (325° convection).

3. Crudely cut the pitted dates. Place in a microwavable bowl, scarcely cover with water, and microwave for 2 minutes. Drain but retain the date soaking water.

4. Add the softened dates, 2 cups only of rolled oats, and slivered almonds to the bowl of a food processor. Run briefly to create a soft mealy dough. A few larger pieces of almond or date is fine. It adds to the rustic charm of these cups. If the dough is too dry to hold together when pressed, add a teaspoon or 2 of the date soaking water.

5. In a bowl add the defrosted blueberries, date sugar, lemon juice corn starch, and vanilla powder, stirring lightly to combine. Taste and correct the seasonings as you like.

6. To form the cups, on a large board cover the dough with wax paper or wrap and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to about ⅛”. Use a round or fluted 3 to 3¼” cutter to punch out the cup.  For a thinner, crispier crust roll the cut-out a bit more to thin and even it out.

7. Use a bench scraper or thin spatula to slide under the dough cut-out and transfer it to a flattened parchment muffin/cupcake liner. Place the liner/dough disk over a muffin tin cup and shape the dough to conform to its shape.

8. Line the dough cup’s perimeter with 3 plum slices. If your plums and blueberries are very juicy, add a pinch of rolled oat flakes on the floor of the cup to absorb excessive juices as it bakes.

9. Fill the cup with the blueberries, saving the blueberry juices left in the bowl. Repeat steps 4 to 6 until all the dough or fruit is used.

10. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crusts are lightly golden and the fruit is soft and juicy.

11. Cool on a rack.  If the fruit’s surface looks dry and opaque, brush on a coat or 2 of the reserved blueberry juices.

12. Serve warm with a little spoonful of soy crème fraîche.