Blueberry Cornmeal Tart
With jammy blueberries, a crunchy, buttery cornmeal crust, and preferably some vanilla ice cream on the side, this tart is not only delicious—it’s shockingly easy to make.

YIELD — 1 9-inch tart, 6-8 servings
For those who don’t bake and for those that do, for those who like their desserts on the less-sweet side, the crunchy side, the unfussy side, this dessert is for you. I can’t stress enough how infallible it is, virtually unable to mess up.
The buttery cornmeal crust doubles as a crumble topping for texture on both sides for maximum crunchiness, the key to my heart. As for the fruit, while a stonefruit moment may tempt you, this is truly a moment for berries. Blueberries are hard to beat for their juiciness and rich-in-pectin jammy texture, but feel free to mix in blackberries, raspberries or mulberries/huckleberries (if you’re lucky to find either).
This recipe is also a prime candidate for baking in “whatever you have around.” Tart pan, pie plate, square baking dish; It is also easily doubled to make in a 9x13 for more of a “bar” and less of a “tart.”
Ingredients
For the Crust & Topping
- 1 ½ cups/225g all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup/55 grams cornmeal
- ⅓ cup/50 grams confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup/55 grams light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon/ 4 grams baking powder
- 1 teaspoon/ 3 grams kosher salt
- ¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
For the Filling
- 1 pound/455 grams blueberries, or combination of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
- ½ cup/110 grams light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons/ 28 grams apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon or lime juice
- 2 tablespoons/ 18 grams all-purpose flour
- Pinch of kosher salt
Preparation
- Make the crust and topping: Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, confectioners’ sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add melted butter, then use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine ingredients until a coarse little dough comes together, with no obviously dry spots.
- Press 3/4 of the cornmeal mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (alternatively, use a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan, or 8x8 pan lined with parchment), making sure the mixture is evenly pressed on the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides. (Using something large and flat, like the bottom of a measuring cup, will be helpful.) Place the shell on a rimmed baking sheet; pop the tart shell and remaining mixture into the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Make the filling: Toss blueberries, brown sugar, vinegar, flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour the fruit into the crust.
- Crumble the remaining cornmeal mixture over the blueberries, pressing bits of the mixture together into large clumps as you go, as you would with a crisp or coffee-cake topping (note that it won’t cover the top entirely, more just create a nice sporadic covering, still allowing the blueberries and their juices to poke through).
- Bake tart until the blueberry filling is bubbly and thickened, and both the crust and top are nicely browned, 50–55 minutes.
- Let tart cool completely before slicing into triangles and serving. The tart can be baked up to 2 days ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature or refrigerated (especially if your kitchen is hot or humid).
EAT WITH: vanilla ice cream would be too obvious, but I don’t care.
DO AHEAD: tart can be baked 4 days ahead, stored wrapped in plastic at room temperature, or refrigerated. This tart is good all the ways.
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