The Crunchiest Summer Fruit Crumble

By Melissa Clark

Published July 7, 2020

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1¾ hours, plus cooling
Rating
4(1,342)
Comments
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The secret to this fruit crumble is to bake the sweet, cinnamon-scented topping separately, to dry it out. Then when you pile those crumbs over a mound of juicy summer fruit, they won’t absorb as much liquid, and stay crisp and cookielike. You can make the crumbs a day ahead. But the crumble is best baked on the day you serve it, preferably while still a little warm and brimming with syrupy fruit. Make sure to taste your fruit before adding the sugar. Sweeter fruit like strawberries, cherries and blueberries need less sugar than tart plums and nectarines. A spoonful of whipped cream or ice cream makes this even better.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour

  • ½ cup/50 grams rolled oats

  • ⅓ cup/75 grams light or dark brown sugar

  • ⅓ cup/65 grams granulated sugar

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ginger or allspice, or use lemon zest

  • ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled

FOR THE FILLING

  • 2 to 5 tablespoon light brown sugar (or granulated sugar), depending on the sweetness of the fruit

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 8 cups mixed berries (fresh or frozen), or cubed peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, or pitted sweet cherries (or a combination)

  • Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

62 grams carbs; 34 milligrams cholesterol; 380 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 72 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 33 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Make the topping: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugars, salt and spices. Stir in butter. Using your hands, squish mixture until coarse crumbs form. Some should be about ½-inch in size, some smaller.

  3. Step 3

    Spread topping in one layer onto a rimmed baking sheet. (You don’t have to grease it first.) Bake until crumbs are solid when you gently poke them, and are fragrant, about 15 minutes. They won’t change appearance very much. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool while you make the filling. (Crumbs can be baked up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.)

  4. Step 4

    Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch until well combined. Add fruit and gently toss to coat with the sugar mixture. Pour filling into an ungreased 2-quart gratin dish or 10-inch cake pan, mounding the fruit in the center.

  5. Step 5

    Spoon crumbs over filling and place the crumble dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any overflowing juices. (You can use the same baking sheet you cooked the crumbs on.) Bake until filling bubbles energetically around the edges, about 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. Crumble can be made up to 8 hours ahead and kept at room temperature, or warmed up briefly in a 350-degree oven.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,342 user ratings
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Comments

Susan

This is a great idea and I will continue baking the crumble before adding to the fruit. However, I reverse the first two ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of oats to 1/2 cup of flour. More crunch and healthier. My family loves it this way.

BC

Put the crumble on parchment paper. No need to scrub baking sheet.

naomi sarna

I always add pecans, lightly toasted.

ml

I halved the recipe, reversed the amount of oat and flour, used einkorn flour, and used a mix of apricots, nectarines and blueberries. I also used the minimum amount of sugar for the filling and maybe 2/3rds of the sugar for the crumble. I actually disagree with the head note suggesting this is best the day it’s made - it’s great cold the next morning as breakfast with plain yogurt. The crumble, which was almost too crunchy on the first day, softened just enough for my liking.

Margie Lou

We thought this was delicious, although very rich. We used farm fresh, Oregon-grown dark sweet cherries, honey crisp apples and Guatemalan cardamom. We baked for precisely 55 minutes and served with homemade vanilla whipped cream. Definitely will make this again. Next time I will add lemon juice or zest to brighten and balance the flavors.

Elle Dee

This is delicious and extremely forgiving. I didn’t have rolled oats but did have homemade granola that is mostly rolled oats plus other nuts and raisins. I used this in place of rolled oats and proceeded with the topping ingredients as the recipe calls for. Didn’t bother baking the topping first, although I realize that’s the whole schtick of this recipe. It was too hot of a day to open the oven door multiple times. What a great way to use up frozen fruit that are past their prime for even a smoothie! Will make again with similar whimsy I’m sure.

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