I’ve created here a hybrid of two great Southern desserts – caramel dumplings and blueberry dumplings. I’ve made them both, one a caramel sauce alone with simple dumplings and one with a plain blueberry sauce. This is an over-the-top rich and sweet dessert that is comforting and old fashioned and altogether charming. Fresh in season blueberries burst in a classic caramel and stud the simple dumplings which gently poach in the sauce, almost biscuit-like. A scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the sweet sauce is an added layer of decadence.
You need to watch the cooking process carefully, so have all your ingredients ready to go. Watch the caramelizing sugar so it doesn’t burn – it only takes minutes – then monitor the cooking sauce so it doesn’t boil over, but thickens nicely. Drop in the blueberries and they meld into the caramel. I make this in a Le Creuset 2.25 quart braiser which is a perfect oven to table vessel with a light bottom to make it easy to judge the caramel color. If you don’t have a similar pan, you can make the caramel sauce in a stainless-steel saucepan, then pour it into an 8 by 8 inch baking dish, then top with the dumplings and proceed. A cookie (or ice cream) scoop makes easy work of the dumplings, but don’t make them too large or they won’t cook through without the sauce burning. Eat this right after it comes out of the oven, or the sauce will thicken up too much.
For a similar all-caramel version, try my Caramel Cobbler.
Ingredients
- For the Blueberry Caramel Sauce
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries
- For the Dumplings
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup fresh blueberries
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- For the Blueberry Caramel Sauce
- Bring more than 2 cups water to a boil, then pour 2 cups into a measuring jug. Sprinkle ½ cup of the sugar evenly over the bottom of a large, high sided skillet or braiser (see headnote). Place over medium high heat and watch carefully as it turns brown and caramelized, stirring with a high heat proof spatula or wooden spoon if it turns darker in some places. When it is evenly caramelized, carefully pour in the water – it will bubble and spit so be careful – stir in the remaining 1 cup of sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes, watching very carefully so it doesn’t boil over, stirring or reducing the heat if needed. After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the blueberries.
- For the Dumplings
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the soft butter and sugar together just until it is evenly combined and looks like wet sand. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and milk and beat until well combined. Fold the blueberries in by hand until evenly distributed.
- Scoop balls of dumpling dough, about 2 Tablespoons, and dot over the top of the caramel sauce. I use a large cookie scoop. When all the dumplings are on the sauce, carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the dumplings are golden brown and cooked through. Serve immediately, scooping out a couple of dumplings and lots of sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
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