It has been a few days since I’ve been torn from New Hampshire and forced to settle back into this Floridian life (though the weather has followed me, it being 30 degrees outside since my return. It’s actually helping, believe it or not). I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a while and with a silly name like ‘grunt’ it was bound to cheer me up…

Grunts have been around for ages and are a delicious one-pan dessert if you have a cast iron pan lying around. You can virtually make it with any type of fruit or berry you have in stock, I just happened to have some blackberries in the freezer.

1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs cold butter, cut into chunks
3/4 c. milk
2 c. blackberries (frozen works fine)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Cut butter into mixture with a fork until pieces of butter are about the size of a pea. Stir in milk and mix until everything is combined. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, cook blackberries, sugar, water and ginger until heated through and syrup starts to form. Transfer mixture to a baking dish (I just used a pie dish). Plop tablespoons of dough on top of berries, evenly spaced until it’s completely covered. Bake in the oven until the dumplings are golden brown.

Note for making a great grunt: This is exactly what it sounds like– a rustic, rough-around-the-edges kind of dessert that hits your sweet tooth without giving you a cavity. Originally, grunts were made in a cast iron pan. You can easily still do this just by using the cast iron pan as both your sauce pan and baking dish! I brought the grunt to a dinner party and it was a big hit (I topped it with whipped cream, so it was a shoe-in). Next time I want to try a strawberry-rhubarb grunt!

Lightly adapted from my favorite zany chef, Alton Brown. I’d also like to thank everyone who donated to the “Sarah needs kitchen gadgets” fund this Christmas!