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  Butter and sugar, mixed until light and fluffy, are the beginnings of Blueberry Buckle (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Adding an egg to the butter mixture, which will become the batter (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Peeling fresh orange zest with a special tool is the best way to infuse a little citrus flavor into the recipe (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Mixing the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, before adding them to the wet batter ingredients (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Wet and dry ingredients are gently blended together (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Cutting fresh nectarines into slices, then into thirds (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Getting ready to mix the nectarine slices with freshly-squeezed lemon juice (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Mixing fresh fruit together, including the citrus flavoring from the lemon juice (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Combined blueberries and nectarines are gently mixed into the batter bowl (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  A handheld pastry blender mixes the topping ingredients: flour, butter, cinnamon and sugars (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Blended topping ingredients are sprinkled to cover the batter, which fills a square baking pan (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  The cooked dessert is removed from the oven and tested with a toothpick in the center (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Just out of the oven, the dessert is set aside to cool for 15 minutes on a baking rack (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Cutting the first piece (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

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  Bon appétit! (Photos by Stacey Winters Photography, © 2015 by Pam Winters)

During the summer of 1986, I found myself standing in a grocery store line with my mom. I remember perusing the magazines at the checkout stand, a habit I continue to have to this day. I’m sure I scanned the usual fare: TV Guide, Cosmopolitan, etc. Suddenly, a new item caught my undivided attention: Good Food Magazine. The cover displayed the headline “Star-Spangled Desserts,” placed just above a close-up shot of fresh berries mingled together in a perfect balance of red and blackish blue. I remember picking up the small booklet-sized magazine, intent on finding out what was meant by “Star-Spangled Desserts.” Whatever it was, it sounded right up my alley. The Good Food issue in my hands, I quickly turned the pages of the article in question, whereby I found not one, but an entire collection of colorful desserts. Even as a teenager, I was quite a baker, and I knew something good when I saw it. The thought came to my mind: did I hit the jackpot or what?

Well, as it turns out, there was one recipe in particular that would emerge as my true love from that article swimming with delicious summertime desserts. That recipe is Blueberry Buckle. Just the name itself was enough to close the deal. Who eats “buckle”? Sounds like fun! Looking at the article today, which contains a photo of all the desserts (yes, I saved the original cover and article pages from the magazine), I can see why I picked Blueberry Buckle as the one to make. First of all: blueberries and nectarines; need I say more? In the photo, Blueberry Buckle is cut into square pieces, which are stacked on one another, looking moist and dense—like the best kind of coffee cake—and showcasing clusters of baked fruit; each piece is adorned with a blanket of golden crumble topping. One of the best things about this recipe, besides its good looks and taste, is its versatility. Blueberry Buckle can be served warm or cold, and is equally delicious. It can be eaten for breakfast or for afternoon/evening dessert, along with coffee or tea; in the latter instance, a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream when the dessert is fresh out of the oven truly completes it.

Baking remains one of my all-time favorite culinary activities to this day. And thanks to Blueberry Buckle, I am never lacking for a summertime recipe to make for family and friends. Sadly, for the other recipes in that Good Food article, I have never had the heart–or perhaps more accurately, the willpower–to tear myself away from making Blueberry Buckle long enough to give them a try. That’s how good this recipe is, and why I continue to make it for all the special and wonderful people in my life. I love nothing more than seeing their eyes light up in anticipation of the infamous “buckle.” These moments, filled with joy, laughter and conversation, shared over a homemade treat, are a true gift. And I realize that, yet again, I’ve hit the jackpot.

Pictured above: Original digital illustration, © 2015 by Pam Winters

Click here to view the complete Blueberry Buckle recipe, as it originally appeared in Good Food Magazine. Bon appétit!