Category: CRUMBLES & CRISPS

CRUMBLES

Gluten Free Peach Cherry Crumble … buttery, wholesome, delicious

Gluten Free Peach Cherry Crumble … one of the simplest, quickest to make and satisfying desserts for summer, the stone fruit crumble always gets my vote! This peach cherry crumble is quite addictive with a burst of flavour and deliciousness, an almost guilt free dessert! It’s a quick wholesome dessert which is one of the best ways to use the bounty of summer brings.

I’ve been making crumbles forever. I think the first crumble I ever made was when a Daring Baker friend, Judy Chiapinni, mentioned years ago that it was the best way to use seasonal fruit that you had an abundance of, or if they were about to spoil. There’s been no looking back. For me, if everything else fails, CRUMBLE!

I think the day I made my maiden crumble, I was hit by a revelation, maybe two! The first thing that struck me was how simple a recipe could be and how easily anyone could rustle up a crumble. It’s so basic. At best, you need a bowl and a fork {or fingers} if you have a limited kitchen, and an ovenproof baking dish. The possibilities are endless…

Take a look at this beautiful Strawberry Chocolate Crumble. It’s a recipe you can find in my Chocolate Cookbook, a recipe by my sweet friend and uber talented chef Parul Pratap. I really enjoyed making the dessert, styling and shooting it ♥.

In my husbands kitchen in the UK where he’s currently working, a crumble is one of the first things I make when I’m visiting. I normally eyeball ingredients since his kitchen is really really basic, yet the crumble is always delicious! A crumble is quite a no brainer and there isn’t much that can go wrong …

Think apples and raspberries, blueberries, apple walnut, strawberries and apple with thyme, raspberries with pistachios, mangoes and peaches, sometimes a hint of ginger … any fruit I find in his fridge, any nuts in the pantry, I crumble. That said, my favourite season is when stone fruit appear at the local bazaar here in North India even though I do make quite a mean Apple Crumble all through winter!

Once summer is in full swing and stone fruits rule the roost, it’s quick crumbles for breakfast often. I play with the toppings depending on the ingredients I have on hand. Oats are usually always part of my crumble for the bite that they give. Otherwise a mix of wholewheat and all purpose flour, nuts definitely, raw sugar, clarified butter / ghee or salted butter … you get the drift!

I always find it fascinating how something so simple can be so so DELICIOUS! Dive into a warm, freshly baked crumble and you will know what I mean. It satisfies at so many levels. The bite of buttery oats and nuts on top, the baked fruit cooked down releasing their fruit juices underneath … all pure magic. Dive in just as is, drizzle some cold unsweetened cream over, else really enjoy it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking or share a comment here on the blog if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

Summer Recipes
Crumbles & Crisps
Stone Fruit Recipes
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Peach Cherry Crumble

Crumbles are the best way to easily use the bounty of stone fruit summer brings. This peach cherry crumble is most delicious with a burst of flavour and deliciousness, an almost guilt free dessert!
Course Appetiser, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American, British
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Oat topping

  • 100 g whole rolled oats
  • 50 g khaand / raw sugar
  • 25 g almonds
  • 50 g salted butter chilled , diced

Fruit filling

  • 6 peaches chopped
  • 150 g cherries pitted
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 2-3 tbsp khaand / raw sugar
  • Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Oat topping

  • Run the oats, almonds and khaand/raw sugar in a hand blender until ground to a fine meal. Add the butter and process to mix to a moist pea sized crumb.

Fruit filling

  • Stir together.
  • Preheat the oven to 170C.
  • Turn the fruit filling into a 7″ baking dish and level out.
  • Cover the filling completely with the oat topping, pressing gently into place.
  • Bake for 45-55 minutes until you see fruit juices oozing up the sides.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

Apple Crumble with pecans & cranberries… the best of holiday baking!

Apple Crumble with pecans & cranberries … super quick and super simple, here’s an apple crumble that is as delicious as it is fuss free. The crumble is buttery and generous as we love it, and the apples are cooked to perfection under the weight of the topping.

It’s another special dessert that doubles up as breakfast. The Eggless Wholegrain Pecan Banana Bread that I recently shared is another great example of breakfast for dessert or dessert for breakfast. Both these scream comfort and are most satisfying to bake up in the holiday season.

One constant in my holiday desserts is spices, a whole array of them. Think garam masala, think cinnamon, think star anise, think nutmeg. These are spices that bring warmth to desserts and every bite is comforting. Garam masala might seem a little misplaced as it comes to mind as a savoury or curry spice, yet trust me with this!

My Chocolate Garam Masala Cake with Garam Masala Orange Vanilla Whipped Frosting … & Garam Masala Gingerbread House is a delightful holiday bake bursting with warmth and flavour. It’s so fun to bake & tastes amazing.

Garam masala is just my all time favourite add to flavour desserts! These Eggless Garam Masala Infused Ghee Gingerbread Cookies are as delicious as they look. Crisp, deep, addictive and sooooo festive, these are cookies that I bake every year.

From my mothers’ quintessential Garam Masala Fruit Cake, to Garam Masala Hot Chocolate Pudding, Rich Hot Chocolate, Eggless Sticky Toffee Pudding, Whiskey Trifles to Garam Masala Chocolate Truffles, I think you get the drift. Just a small pinch of the spice for the mild hearted is enough to elevate the flavours to desserts that scream holidays. As you become bolder and more open to experimenting, you’ll fall in love with spices in desserts through winter!!

Holiday desserts and baking is my most favorite part of the year. So much to do, and honestly so little time! I love playing with ingredients, flavours and colours. I also love making different types of desserts – trifles, cakes, pudding, truffles, cookies … and crumbles of course!

I have baked apple crumbles for years! Winter just isn’t without the aroma of a crumble baking. Deep smells of cinnamon wafting through the house feels like a big, warm hug. My crumbles always have to have a generous topping. It really adds an indulgence to the perfectly cooked soft spiced apples that are blanketed by the crisp topping. Pecans and dried cranberries add so much texture to desserts, it’s addictive. Do try this apple crumble and let me know!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking or share a comment here on the blog if you make this or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

Holiday Desserts
Crumbles
Eggless Desserts
Christmas Desserts
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Apple Crumble with pecans & cranberries

Super quick and super simple apple crumble that is as delicious as it is fuss free. The topping is buttery and generous as we love it, and the apples are cooked to perfection under the weight of the crumble.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword baking, christmas, cranberries, crumble, dessert, eggfree, eggless baking, fruit, simple, sweet, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Apple filling

  • 600 g apples peeled and diced {3 apples}
  • 45 g light brown sugar desi khaand {2-3 tbsp}
  • 100 g pecans chopped {1/2 cup}
  • 20 g dried cranberries 2 tbsp
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1/2 lime juice
  • 1 tbsp cornflour optional

Crumble topping

  • 100 g quick cooking oats
  • 100 g all purpose flour maida
  • 100 g light brown sugar desi khaand
  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

Crumble topping

  • Add all the ingredients to a hand blender and process until the butter is distributed equally. Alternatively, mix all the ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or using your fingertips to distribute equally.
  • Reserve.

Apple filling

  • Toss all the ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Transfer into an 8" pie dish and spread uniformly.
  • Cover the apple filling with the crumble topping and pack firmly into place.
  • Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the top is light golden brown and fragrant.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

Quick Delicious Stone Fruit Crumble … dessert for breakfast or breakfast for dessert!

Quick Delicious Stone Fruit Crumble … often the best way to begin a day, else to end a meal! Dessert for breakfast or breakfast for dessert and life can’t get better than that in summer! If you like a hearty, somewhat guilt free ‘fruit loaded’ beginning to the day, this might be a good idea. It has oats and walnuts too! Sold yet?

Summer is one season I absolutely love, not least for the dreadful heat and unbearable humidity, but for stone fruit! Think summer fruits with a pit in the centre, think colourful, luscious and delicious fleshy fruit – mangoes, peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines, lychee, plums…

My first thought was a smoothie which is how my day begins every single day, 365 days a year using fruit in season. I had already frozen fruit for smoothies the day before, so my next thought of course was a crumble! I always enjoy making crumbles and this Quick Delicious Stone Fruit Crumble turned out a perfect destination for the few hapless stone fruit in the fridge … a couple of peaches, a few plums and a small bowl of cherries.

What are stone fruit you might ask? Stone fruits get their name from the pit or “stone” in their center that is encased in a fleshy outer area. Also known as drupes, stone fruits tend to have thin skins that may be fuzzy or smooth. The pit is actually a large seed, and stone fruits can be either clingstone or freestone depending on how easily the flesh pulls away from the seed. Since most stone fruits won’t ripen after being harvested, they’re picked at their peak and only good for a small window of time. This makes them highly seasonal, with different stone fruits arriving at different seasons.

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-stone-fruit/

Then I saw this huge glass mug on the counter and I knew CRUMBLE was going to be it! I thought it might look nice to see squishy colourful fruit pressed against the sides smothered by a crumbly, buttery topping! The rest came together pretty soon, on the go actually.

Crumbles don’t take very long to put together and I often make one large one in my 8″ KitchenAid baking dish. Once done, everyone just digs in. Fewer fruit mean individual servings though this ones seems good for a single large serving or even one shared by two. Dig right in!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Quick Delicious Stone Fruit Crumble

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, British
Keyword baking, cherries, cookie, crumble, dessert, eggless, eggless baking, fruit, homemade, one bowl, simple, summer dessert, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
15 minutes
Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

Fruit filling

  • 2 peaches stoned, diced
  • 3 plums stoned, diced
  • 100 g cherries pitted
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
  • 1 tsp lime juice

Crumble topping

  • 1/4 cup walnut halves chopped
  • 1/3 cup plain flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp ghee
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C

Fruit filling

  • Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss until the fruit is coated well.
  • Transfer to a large cup/bowl and pack in well.

Crumble topping

  • Toss the walnuts, plan flour, oats and sugar in a bowl until well mixed.
  • Drizzle over the clarified butter and vanilla extract and mix well with a fork {or your fingertips to get an even light crumble.
  • Cover the fruit with the crumble topping. Top with walnut halves if desired.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes.
  • Cover the top with a sheet of foil if the top is overbrowning after 25 minutes.
  • Stand for 15-30 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit, vanilla chantilly cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramelised walnuts.

Strawberry & Blueberry Pistachio Crumble… Have berries, will bake!

Strawberry & Blueberry Pistachio Crumble … simple quick desserts like these are the best. Staple ingredients, easy substitutes and instant gratification! What more might you need? Comfort in a bowl? Yes, that too, and that’s all the important boxes ticked off!

A good crumble is one of our favourite ways to dessert and it’s pure joy to see fruit get lapped up so quick! I love this particular wholegrain topping which makes this crumble quite an indulgent yet healthy bake. I’m quite certain this crumble will win your heart!

It was years ago that I got introduced to this wonderful bake while lamenting about too much fruit on hand which was going soft. Back then, Judy Chippiani had a post on crumbles, saying that it was the best way to use extra fruit on hand.

That first crumble had us smitten and there’s been no looking back. I don’t wait for fruit to go soft. I just wait for fruit to come into season so I can make a crumble. This one is particularly delicious since berries are always a good idea. I’ve made this in the past with strawberries, apple, pistachios and rosemary – that was excellent too.

You can pretty much use a mix of berries, any firm fruit in season, or a combination of fruit. Apples of course make one of the best classic crumbles but to be honest my apple crumble never looks pretty enough to shoot! Strawberries in dessert are definitely a favourite!

I make this crumble into four portions since we love the idea of more crumble to each fruit serving, but this recipe will easily make 6 portions. Feel free to play with the proportions of fruit, nuts and herbs, use the grains you enjoy, add as much sugar as the pallette likes. Above all, do crumble!

Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @passionateaboutbaking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Strawberry & Blueberry Pistachio Crumble

Strawberry Blueberry Pistachio Crumble… Simple quick desserts like these are the best. Staple ingredients, easy substitutes and instant gratification! What more might you need? Comfort in a bowl? Yes, that too, and that's all the important boxes ticked off!
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword baking, crumble, dessert, eggless, fruit, homemade, simple, vegetarian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 2 bowls
  • whisk
  • spatula
  • Knife
  • Hand blender {optional}

Ingredients

Fruit mix

  • 200 g blueberries
  • 300 g strawberries chopped
  • 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 60 g pistachios chopped
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour

Crumble topping

  • 2 1/2 tbsp whole-wheat flour
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 80 g butter chilled, diced
  • 45 g breakfast oats
  • 30 g pistachios chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C

First make the crumble topping:

  • Mix flour and sugar with a spoon in a dry bowl.
  • Put in cold butter cut into pieces and work with finger tips to make a breadcrumbs like texture. Now toss in the oats and nuts lightly with a spoon.
  • Alternatively, add the flour, sugar and chilled diced butter into a small hand blender. Cut in short bursts until you get a pea sized mix. Stir in the otas and chopped nuts.
  • {Can be made ahead and chilled}

Fruit filling:

  • In a large bowl, toss together the ingredients for the fruit filling.
  • Divide into 4-6 ramekins.
  • Top with the crumble and press gently to pack tight and seal the fruit in.
  • Bake till tops are light brown and stewed fruit juice begins to appear on edges {about 30 minutes}
  • Serve warm or at room temperature as is, with unsweetened cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream perhaps.

Notes

Use apples with strawberries as an alternative pairing, or just strawberries will work too. Add in the zest of an orange, or fresh rosemary. Use walnuts as an alternative.

GF Peach Cherry Quinoa Crumbles … how my quinoa crumbled!

“The best we can do, to paraphrase Pollan, is to eat whole foods, mostly plants, and not too much.”
A. J. Jacobs

Peach Cherry Quinoa Crumbles​…. that’s how my quinoa crumbled and we loved it! With peaches and cherries falling off carts this year, and my quinoa obsession, the options are unlimited!​ Honestly, this was my best crumble to date! Gluten free, wholegrain and addictive good! Also a great way to use whole foods, something that fits in with my current obsession #makehalfyourgrainswholeSummer only means exciting times. This year even more exciting as stone fruit are falling off carts. This year the crop seems to have been particularly good. The season began quite early since summer came early. I also have this strange obsession and cannot stop myself from buying the fruit each time I go to the market, which basically means I am constantly thinking of new ways to use them. And then there’s my new wholegrain obsession with quinoa. It began a while ago when a friend got me some organic quinoa from the US. It wasn’t a lot but it was enough to get me going. Find a Whole Foods near you, grab some quinoa and try something new today. A friend, Dolphia,  just commented on my Instagram handle @passionateaboutbaking … ‘Quinoa – I never thought I could use that in dessert.’

I’ve done loads with quinoa of late. Interestingly, the more I do, the more I want to do.  This time I decided to experiment with a crumble. To have a crisp crumble, the topping has to be dryish or rather dehydrated to begin with, made crisp with cut in butter. I didn’t have quinoa flour, and making flour from scratch is a bit cumbersome. Besides, I had a small portion of cooked quinoa waiting for somewhere to go…And here’s where it went, to top these crumbles. I have to say I make crumbles every year, and these were my best to date. The good thing is that they are wholegrain, gluten free and ever so delicious. Healthy of course. What else would fruit and wholegrain be? What’s your favourite way with quinoa?

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Peach Cherry Quinoa Crumbles

GF Peach Cherry Quinoa Crumbles​…. that’s how my quinoa crumbled and we loved it! With peaches and cherries falling off carts this year, and my quinoa obsession, the options are unlimited!​ Honestly, this was my best crumble to date! Gluten free, wholegrain and addictive good! Also a great way to use whole foods, something that fits in with my current obsession #makehalfyourgrainswhole
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Stone Fruit Mix

  • 6-8 peaches pitted, diced
  • 2 cups cherries pitted, halved
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Few drops almond extract

Quinoa Oat Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa dehydrated {note below}
  • 1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup chilled butter grated

Instructions

Stone Fruit Mix

  • Preheat oven to 180C.
  • In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients for the fruit mix well to coat.

Assemble

  • Divide the fruit mix into 6-8 ovenproof ramekins, including the liquid if any.
  • Divide the crumble mix equally over each, pressing down gently to make sure the top is well covered and sealed.
  • Bake in a hot oven for 35-40 minutes until the top is crisp to touch, and maybe the juices are bubbling out.
  • Serve warm {or chilled as we like it} with a serving of unsweetened single cream!

Notes

Note : Dehydrated cooked quinoa. I spread the cooked quinoa on a oven proof platter and microwaved it for 6 minutes, a minute at a time, since I was experimenting. I think next time I will put it on an oven tray and leave in a low oven for about an hour.

Whole Grain Apple Crumble … fall in love with delicious dessert

“Sometimes you’ve just got to grab an apple – or grapes, or strawberries. Something that’s healthy but maybe a little bit more adventurous, if you can see fruit as adventurous.”
LL Cool J

Whole Grain Apple Crumble. Always room for dessert as I limp back into normal everyday life after too much indulgence of late. That weekend trip to the Jaipur Marriott spoilt me silly. Then came a family wedding/reunion. With the holiday season now in full swing, I am taking a small ‘eating out‘ sabbatical. I have to knock off the pounds I’ve gained. Got to get fit!

And that certainly does not mean no good home eating. Or baking. Fruits and whole grains are always welcome as dessert. I love to bake with them, and the family loves to dig into them. There is something comforting about a fruit bake with apples, cinnamon, walnuts and brown sugar. A nice crisp topping and it promises to be a winner.

I’ve been working with a publisher to style a cookbook and I took these cookies along for the team one morning. Fresh from the oven, it smelt divine. We dug in later halfway through the shoot and everyone loved it. There was lots of other food I cooked and styled for the book that day, that we eventually devoured. Even though we were ready to burst, there was room for dessert! Always is!

I bake crumbles a lot through winter, with different permutations and combinations. Sometimes when I’m short of time, I do the fruit filling in advance, make the crumble and store it alongside. Pop it into the oven an hour or so before dinner. It holds sweet promise of a delicious end to the day. Serve it with a good quality vanilla ice cream for extra indulgence, or maybe just unsweetened single cream. For me, just a small serving as is works. Drat, those extra pounds!!

And in other news, something special again came my way a few days ago. After the beautiful Mauviel 1830 set I received from France, a sweet lady stopped by my place one morning. She brought for me this retro porcelain enamelware set from Fujihoro Japan. I fell in love with the colours, the quality and the workmanship. Incidentally, Fujihoro has recently been featured in India Today as one of the hottest new products!

Bright yellow really works with me, as also the fact that you can cook and serve in this beautiful cookware too. One of the recipes shot for the cookbook was a Kachi Mirch ka Gosht. An absolutely lip smacking recipe which I cannot divulge as the book is yet to go into print. I cooked a murgh {chicken} version of it at home a few days ago.

With a heavy tight fitting lid and great insulating properties to allow a low simmer, the pan delivered an absolutely delicious curry. The enamelware surface has a non-porous hardened vitreous coating which does not absorb any residue from previously cooked food and is stain resistant, odourless and bacteria free once cleaned. The pan can go into the oven too {sans the lid which has a really really nice fitted wooden knob on top}. I think I just might bake the fruit crumble in the next time!

Recipe: Whole Grain Apple Crumble

Summary: The Whole Grain Apple Crumble is an autumn / winter dessert which is pure comfort food. Here’s a version of the apple crumble gone healthy. Serve with some good quality vanilla ice cream, or some unsweetened cream, or just as is.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

  • Apple mix
  • 5-6 apples, cored, peeled, diced
  • 30g brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Topping
  • 75g oats
  • 25g whole wheat flour
  • 30g whole almonds
  • 100g brown sugar
  • 75g unsalted butter, chilled, cubed or grated {I grate frozen butter}

Method:

  1. Apple mix
  2. Preheat oven to 180C
  3. Toss all ingredients for apple mix in a bowl to oat fruit well. Can add raisins and walnuts if desired. Turn into 1 litre pie dish, and make topping
  4. Topping
  5. Run oats, whole almonds and wheat flour {aata} in blender. Add in brown sugar and mix. Reserve. Gratein  frozen butter and toss lightly together to get a bread crumb like mix {I normally pulse in processor, short and quick to evenly distribute}
  6. Cover the fruit with the topping, pressing down gently to make sure the fruit is sealed in.
  7. Bake for about 30 minutes until light golden brown on top.
  8. {Tent with aluminum foil if the top is over-browning.}

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