PLUM & APPLE CARDAMOM CRUMBLE with PISTACHIOS

Plum & Apple Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios

If you only make one baked dessert this year, please let it be this one!  Don't let the name fool you...Plum & Apple Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios is probably the best tasting crisp or crumble on the planet!  High end restaurant quality, but so simple to make at home.  Everyone will be BEGGING you to share your secret for making this, and lucky for you, I'm sharing it with you today!

​When I was a little girl, I remember my Mom cracking open cardamom pods at Christmas time for her special Norwegian Christmas cookies.  She would always quietly grumble about how hard they were to find and how expensive they were, for something that she only used during the holidays.

Cardamom, combined with harvest-ready apples and plums, with a sprinkling of fresh pistachios are hardly something you will throw together every day, but the first time I made this for my Mom, her eyes lit up and she sure had a big smile!

Apple & Plum Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios

Topped with a buttery, oatmeal & brown sugar crumble and pistachios that is absolutely the best combination ever.  Ever!

You can use any variety of ripe plums at your market, and add slices of crisp sweet apples - I usually use sugar crisp apples for baking this.  A little bit of lemon juice and you'll let them sit and juice up while you get everything else put together.  

​And it only takes a few minutes to do that!

If you've never baked with cardamom, you are in for a treat!  Cardamom is  a staple in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, and also plays a big part in Swedish and Norwegian cooking - originally brought from Turkey to Scandinavia by Viking explorers.  Cardamom is delicious - warm and sweet in a way that pairs well with both sweet and savory dishes, and also used extensively to flavor coffee in the Middle East.  What vanilla is for Americans, cardamom is for them!  Cardamom is also one of the world's most expensive spices, second only to saffron, and followed closely by vanilla beans.

​The tiny black seeds that you will be using are nestled inside small green pods, which can be easily peeled and the seeds ground with a mortar and pestle.  Cardamom loses its flavor and scent quickly after it is ground, so it's always best to grind it fresh when you need it.  The cardamom pods will stay fresh for about a year.  If you want to try something different, try grinding cardamom seeds with a tablespoon or two of granulated sugar and add it to your coffee - it's AMAZING!

​Added to whole oats, brown sugar, cornstarch (to help thicken the fruit syrup), and a light touch of cinnamon, the cardamom adds a delicate flavor that will keep everyone guessing exactly what your secret ingredient might be.

See how nice and thick the topping is?  And the magical thing is that it stays that way when you bake it up all - tender apples and plums, and a golden topping.

​I always add just a few extra fresh pistachios before serving, because can you ever have too many pistachios?

Plum & Apple Cardamom Crisp with Pistachios

I usually let this cool down slightly and serve it warm.  

​You could always add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, but this tastes so rich and delightful on its own that you really don't need it.

Plum & Apple Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios

I wish you could smell this...and taste this right now!

If you love apple crisp, you are gonna LOVE this Plum & Apple Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios.  It is unbelievably good and perfect for an autumn celebration!

​The perfect way to end a perfect dinner.  Hope that you enjoy!

Apple & Plum Crumble with Cardamom & Pistachios

PLUM & APPLE CARDAMOM CRUMBLE with PISTACHIOS

If you love apple crisp, you are gonna LOVE this Plum & Apple Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios!  It is unbelievably good and perfect for an autumn celebration!
​
INGREDIENTS:
Apple & Plum Fruit Layer:
2 lbs. ripe plums, any variety (about 6 cups, sliced 1/3” thick)
2 lbs. honey crisp apples (peeled, cored & sliced 1/3” thick)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
¼ cup old-fashioned oats
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
 
Crumble Topping:
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar (packed)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup chopped raw pistachios

Plum & Apple Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios

HOW I MAKE THIS:
1.  Place rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 350 degrees.  Spray a 10-inch deep dish pie plate or 8x8x2” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl, toss the apple slices and plums with lemon juice. 

3. Open the cardamom pods, place the seeds inside a small plastic bag, and smash into small pieces.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the oats, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.  Sprinkle oat mixture on fruit slices; gently stir and let sit until juices start to accumulate, about 5-10 minutes.

5.  In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar and cardamom.  Add butter and using a fork, mix together until it is well-blended and crumbly. 

6. Transfer apples and plums to baking dish and spread evenly.  Scatter topping over fruit.  Sprinkle pistachios evenly over topping.

7.  Bake until juices are thickened and bubbling, apples are tender and the top is golden brown, about 40-50 minutes. 

8. Let cool slightly and serve warm.  You can always serve with ice cream, but this stuff is pretty spectacular all on its own!

​YIELD:  8 servings

Originally posted September 2011, revised and reposted September 2018 & 2019
​
© SnowflakesandCoffeecakes.  All images, attachments & content are copyright.  All rights reserved.   Please do not use my images without prior permission.  If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to www.snowflakesandcoffeecakes.com for the recipe.

Did you make this recipe?
Tag @snowflakesandcoffeecakes on Instagram and hashtag it #snowflakesandcoffeecakes.

Find it online: https://www.snowflakesandcoffeecakes.com/snowflakesandcoffeecakescom/plum-apple-cardamom-crumble-with-pistachios