The Crunchiest Summer Fruit Crumble

By Melissa Clark

Published July 8, 2020

The Crunchiest Summer Fruit Crumble
Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
1¾ hours, plus cooling
Rating
4(1,307)
Comments
Read comments

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

    • 1½cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
    • ½cup/50 grams rolled oats
    • ⅓cup/75 grams light or dark brown sugar
    • ⅓cup/65 grams granulated sugar
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½teaspoon ground cardamom, ginger or allspice, or use lemon zest
    • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled

    For the Filling

    • 2 to 5tablespoon light brown sugar (or granulated sugar), depending on the sweetness of the fruit
    • 2tablespoons cornstarch
    • 8cups 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)

380 calories; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 33 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 72 milligrams sodium

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
1,307 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.

Pam M.

Did this for Labor Day family cookout - everyone loved it. Did it with peaches!

Sara

I double the crumb recipe, bake, and squish half on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Then comes the fruit and rest of the crumb and bake for nearly an hour. I use 2-1/2 tsps Burlap&Barrel “Everything Nice” spice and 1/2 tsp almond extract in the crumble. It’s really swoonworthy! My farmer’s market fruit included blackberries, blueberries, plums and peaches, 8 cups in all. Have made this a lot with minor variations and it’s always a winner.

Pat

Love this crumble recipe. I have TONS of fresh, organic blackberries every year and struggle with what to make with them besides seedless jam. Now I have an answer. I did flip the proportions of oats to flour and I added chopped pecans and it is delicious! I just made vanilla ice cream to go with it!

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