Pluot Crumble

Unpopular opinion: fruity desserts are better than chocolatey desserts, especially when it comes to this pluot crumble. It has the perfect balance between sweet and tart and is topped off with the most amazing crumble. It’s also a great way to use fresh seasonal ingredients and perfect for the summer and fall!

The best part is that this pluot recipe is the easiest dessert to make and tastes out of this world. It’s like making a pie without the hassle of making the dough. You pretty much mix all of the ingredients together, pour it in a baking dish, top it off with your crumble mixture, bake it, and voila, you’ve got yourself an incredibly delicious fruity dessert. 

Pluots, otherwise known as plumcots, apriums, or apriplums, are the cross between, you guessed it, apricots and plums. Which, in my opinion are the perfect fruit, because they are so flavorful, juicy, and sweet, with just a hint of tartness. On their own they are incredibly tasty but baking them caramelizes the natural sugars in the fruit, thus intensifying the flavor, which is why they work perfectly in this pluot crumble.

Alternatives/substitutions you can make 

Pluots are so incredibly delicious, but they can be hard to come by. One of the great aspects of this pluot crumble is that you can substitute the pluots for virtually any fruit and it will still work and taste amazing. Peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, or any stone fruit are great alternatives. Even apples, pears, any berries make for a great crumble as well. Pretty much any fruit can be turned into a delicious crumble!

I personally love the addition of cardamom because it adds a nice warm spice to it. Although if you don’t like or have cardamom you can switch it out for other warm spices such as cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, or clove. You can also just omit the cardamom all together and have a really refreshing and light dessert. 

Crumble vs cobbler vs crispThere seems to be a lot of confusion between the difference of crumbles, cobblers, and crisps and they are often used synonymously. All these desserts start with a baked fruity base, the difference lies in the toppings. Cobblers have a cakey/biscuit topping, crumbles have a streusel like topping, and crisps also have a streusel like topping but specifically made with oats that crisp up while. 

Helpful tips for making pluot crumble

• Prior to baking, sprinkle a hand full of demerara sugar on top of the crumble to add a sweet crunch.
• This pluot crumble can be used as a template to make virtually any crumble. Just follow the same steps, replace the fruits and aromatics, and viola, you got yourself your own crumble.
• This pluot crumble can easily be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat place the leftovers in an oven set to 350 for 10-15 mins or in the microwave for 30-40 seconds. 
• For the ultimate experience serve this dessert with vanilla ice cream.
• Bonus tip: to make single servings of this pluot crumbles bake it in 6-8 ramakins rather than a baking dish.