Spring Sweetness: Just 4 ingredients. The perfect excuse to turn on the slow cooker instead of the oven.

This 4-ingredient slow cooker blueberry grunt is a vintage stove-top dessert reimagined for days when you’d rather let the slow cooker do the work than turn on the oven. Traditionally, a grunt (or slump) is New England’s answer to a cobbler: fruit stewed until jammy, then topped with soft biscuit dough that steams and partially bakes in the bubbling juices. Using frozen wild blueberries keeps the flavor bright and concentrated, while the slow, moist heat of the cooker gives you that bubbling, magenta fruit base and tender, golden-topped dumplings with almost no hands-on time.

Serve this blueberry grunt warm right out of the slow cooker, spooned into shallow bowls so you catch plenty of fruit and biscuit in each serving. A scoop of vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, or lightly sweetened whipped cream plays beautifully against the tart wild blueberries. For something lighter, offer plain Greek yogurt or a drizzle of heavy cream. Coffee or black tea is a natural pairing, but a small glass of dessert wine or a not-too-sweet hard cider also works nicely for a more grown-up finish.

Servings: 6

6 cups frozen wild blueberries (about 2 pounds), unthawed

Lightly mist the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray or brush with a thin film of neutral oil to help prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.

Add the frozen wild blueberries and granulated sugar directly to the slow cooker. Stir gently to coat the berries evenly in sugar, spreading them into an even layer across the bottom.

Cover the slow cooker and cook the sugared blueberries on HIGH for 1 hour, or until the berries are bubbling vigorously and have released plenty of deep magenta juice. This hot, jammy base is what will steam and partially bake the biscuit topping.

While the blueberries cook, prepare the biscuit-style topping: In a medium bowl, add the self-rising flour. Pour in the milk and stir with a fork or spatula just until a soft, thick batter forms and no dry pockets of flour remain. The mixture should be thicker than pancake batter but looser than a kneadable dough; avoid overmixing so the topping stays tender.

After the blueberries have cooked for about 1 hour and are bubbling around the edges, remove the lid carefully to avoid escaping steam. Give the fruit a gentle stir to ensure even heating, then smooth it back into an even layer.

Using a spoon or small scoop, drop the batter in 8 to 10 mounds over the hot blueberry mixture, spacing them slightly apart. The mounds will spread a bit and puff as they cook, creating a rustic, biscuit-like topping that is partly submerged in the sauce.

Cover the slow cooker again, placing a clean kitchen towel or a double layer of paper towels under the lid if possible to catch condensation and help the tops of the biscuits set more nicely. Make sure the towel edges are well away from the heating element.

Continue cooking on HIGH for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the biscuit topping is puffed, cooked through in the center, and lightly golden on top. The fruit should be thick, glossy, and bubbling around the edges. To check doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of one biscuit; it should come out without wet batter, though a few moist crumbs are fine.

Once done, turn off the slow cooker and let the grunt stand, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. This short rest allows the fruit juices to thicken slightly and the steam to settle, giving you a bubbling, jammy base with a tender, rustic biscuit top that holds its shape when scooped.

Serve the blueberry grunt warm, spooning it into bowls so that each portion includes plenty of the deep magenta fruit and a generous piece of the golden biscuit topping. Leftovers can be cooled completely, then stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; rewarm gently in the slow cooker on LOW or in the microwave before serving.

Self-rising flour is the quiet workhorse here: it already includes leavening and salt, which is why we can keep the ingredient list to just four items. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can approximate it by whisking 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour with 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt before adding the milk (this technically adds ingredients, but the method and result remain the same). For a slightly richer topping, you can substitute up to half of the milk with heavy cream. If you prefer a less sweet dessert, reduce the sugar in the fruit to 1/2 cup; wild blueberries are naturally tart, so taste and adjust the next time you make it. A teaspoon of vanilla or a pinch of cinnamon stirred into the batter will give a more aromatic, old-fashioned bakery note without changing the structure. For a brighter flavor, stir a squeeze of lemon juice into the hot fruit just before adding the batter. Food safety tips: Always start with frozen berries straight from the freezer so they remain at a safe temperature until cooking begins. Keep the slow cooker on HIGH for the times specified to ensure the fruit and dough reach a safe internal temperature; avoid extended time on WARM, which may hold food in the temperature “danger zone” if used for cooking rather than just holding. If you use a kitchen towel under the lid, make sure it does not hang near the heating elements or outside the cooker where it could pose a fire risk. Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours; reheat only the amount you plan to eat, and discard any portions that have been left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.