I want so badly to call this go-to dessert “cobbler”, but it’s more of a crumble, hence the name “Favorite Fruit Crumble”; the recipe you see here features all my favorite fruits, baked into a bubbly sweetness that possesses just a hint of fresh sage. It’s not cobbler because these are traditionally made with biscuit batter baked in. My recipe calls for flour and rolled oats, and I think you’re going to love it for the same reasons I do.

One, it’s an excellent way to clear out the fridge. Absolutely any fruit you have on hand, whether it’s bruising in a bowl or frozen, works. Obviously, the fresher the fruit the better, but once you bake your concoction with vanilla, and all the autumnal spices this recipe calls for, you’re not going to notice if that peach was on its last leg.

 

In the 40 to 50 minutes this dessert takes to bake, your home is going to smell like Yankee Candle on Black Friday.

 

Another thing that’s awesome about this template for a fruit cobbler – whoops, I mean Crumble – is it’s a fast, easy way to use up apples that may have otherwise gotten all brown and mealy. When I made it this week, the first hints of frost on my North Carolina deck chair, it was the first time in a while I’d cooked with Granny Smith Apples. I’d forgotten how good, crisp and tart they are! But like I said, use whatever kind of apple you want. Heck, use whatever kind of fruit you want. The top half of the recipe is amendable to whatever tweaks you wanna make; the portion of the dish that says” “FOR THE CRUMBLE”, always remains the same. So crumble the crumble over the fruit of your choice, and revel in the smells of Fall tonight.     

Favorite Fruit Crumble

Serves a crowd

60 Minute Cuisine

I usually make crumbles when I have a bowl of over ripe fruit. You can use absolutely any combination of fruit on hand to enjoy this dish! If you don’t have apples, use pears. No peaches, how about plums or apricots? Not feelin’ the cherries, no worries as you’re sure to have berries, somewhere, that make for a sweet filling.

For filling:

4 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced

4 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced

1 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted, about 2 1/2 cups, pitted and halved

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup orange juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon, finely chopped fresh sage

For crumble:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the fruit into a shallow baking dish, coated with vegetable oil spray. Add granulated sugar, juice, vanilla extract and fresh sage. Toss with your fingers.

Place the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a bowl. Add the butter pieces. Use your hands to smush the butter into the dry ingredients to form the crumble. Crumble the crumble on top of the fruit. Bake until the crumble is golden and the fruit juices begin to bubble over the top, about 40 to 50 minutes.

Serve the warm crumble with a garnish of ice cream or chilled whipped cream.