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Better than apple pie and easier to make if you shy away from pie crusts, put this Apple Plum Crumble on your list of favorite CAN DO desserts!
Last weekend I brought this dessert to a friend’s house and the four of us finished off half the pan with ice cream after dinner. It was so good that we ate the rest of the crumble, cold, the next day.
When I was making the crumble I did not have enough apples to fill the entire pie plate, so I experimented by filling in with plums.Â
What a great discovery! The plums provided a punch of purple color and a mellow, sweet  flavor that’s the perfect counter balance to tart, firm Grannies and Braeburns.  Plums are only in season from July – September, but other great choices include black orÂ
blueberries or pears. Apple, pear and dried cranberries (for color) make a great, late fall alternative.
What a great discovery! The plums provided a punch of purple color and a mellow, sweet  flavor that’s the perfect counter balance to tart, firm Grannies and Braeburns.  Plums are only in season from July – September, but other great choices include black orÂ
blueberries or pears. Apple, pear and dried cranberries (for color) make a great, late fall alternative.
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Make this crumble gluten free by using your fav gluten free flour. You can sub vegan butter as well.
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This recipe is adapted from a dessert in Ina Garten’s 2001 book, Parties. I have been making and adapting this particular dish for 13 years and it is still my go-to favorite for any occasion. I used half the sugar and half the butter that Ina uses without losing any flavor.
As always, taste your fruit mixture and feel free to add additional sugar and spices as you see fit. The long, slow cooking time brings out the fruit’s natural sweetness. You’ll be surprised at how sweet the fruit becomes with just 1/3 cup of sugar, orange juice and spices.
Use these photos as your guide and dig into apple plum crumble.Â
It really is better (and easier to make) than apple pie!
Use these photos as your guide and dig into apple plum crumble.Â
It really is better (and easier to make) than apple pie!
Gather all your ingredients first (not pictured: cinnamon).
Zest, then juice one orange.
Peel and cut apples into quarters (see photo) for easy coring, then cut in fourths again.
 Toss fruit slices with the zest and juice to keep  apples from turning brown.Â
   Slice and remove pits from plums and toss in with the apples.
 Combine with sugar and spices and toss gently.
 Spray or grease your pie plate.
 Pour collected juices evenly over fruit.
 Mix crumble with a wooden spoon or mixer until crumbly and butter is the size of peas.
   Set pie plate on a foil lined baking sheet to catch  spills and keep oven clean.
Use glass or ceramic bowls to make 1 -2 mini crumbles with leftover fruit and topping. (Mini crumbles will cook in about an hour.)
Be patient! Plan on 1 1/2 hours or more to bake the crumble. Minis should bake in about an hour. Rotate crumble halfway through baking for even browning.Â
   Serve warm with ice cream, whipped topping or     just plain.Mmm…
[tasty-recipe id=”7581″]
[…] and baked apple chips. Dessert lovers have lots of choices too, from muffins and shortbread bars to Apple plum crumble, Apple pie and two kinds of Apple […]