Recipe: Lynne's Fourth of July Blueberry Buckles

For years, Mary Forgione admired the blueberry buckles made her neighbor, Lynne Palomaki, prepared for their annual Fourth of July cookout. Forgione is no stranger to inventing baked goods herself -- in the past, she's made cookies named after each of her grandsons. But when the cook-off at the Branford Festival rolled around, she immediately though of her neighbor's baked goods.

"I've been baking since I got married," says Forgione. "But this year, for the festival, I wanted to have something seasonal. And I've known Lynne for 20 years -- I used to babysit her kids."

She asked Palomaki if she could use the recipe, and her neighbor agreed. The recipe won Forgione a blue ribbon in the contest, and netted PaIomaki a pretty sweet apron. If you'd like to try the recipe yourself for your own Fourth of July cookout today, here it is:

Lynne's Blueberry Buckles

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 cups blueberries

Mix sugar, butter and eggs. Stir in milk. Add dry ingredients. Fold in blueberries. Spread into 9x13 buttered glass pan. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

Topping:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon mix
• 1/2 cup soft butter

Cut together until medium crumbly. Top batter with it and press down slightly. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.