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Apricot-Cherry Crumble Season

Apricot-Cherry Crumble with Graham Cracker Crust

Apricot-Cherry Crumble with Graham Cracker Crust. It’s not quite a pie or even a cobbler. It’s not actually a true crumble either– though I call it exactly that.

Because I made it with crumbled graham crackers. An unsavory sweet treat I would normally never buy yet blindly purchased in the early days of corona-panic-buying. You know, those first scary weeks when there was not only a void of TP but there were no Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunk Cookies to be found (anywhere).

Graham Crackers

I didn’t like graham crackers as a kid and I ignore them as an adult (except in the occasional cheesecake crust). So I have to wonder, does anyone actually like them? 

I guess not because they were the only “cookie” left in the cookie aisle that dark day in March. So I bought two boxes and now I have to use them. But how? I tried eating one. No thank you.

The Cusp of a Glorious Summer

It may feel like we’re in dark days. That’s because of the uncertainty. In truth, there are things worth celebrating. In fact, we’re on the cusp of a glorious summer here in Los Angeles.

However, unless you know what to look for you might not see it coming. Despite the jokes about Southern California having no weather, there are small, unmistakable events that mark the change in each season: the autumnal shift of evening temperatures, the blazing blue skies of winter, the mist-veiled mornings of May gray. Once you’ve lived here long enough you get to know the shifts that signal the annual equinoxes.

There’s another sign in the shift in our seasons and it’s best observed walking the stalls of our Farmers Markets. As the days lengthen, delicate greens give way to brilliant shades of yellow and red as summer’s fruits replace spring’s veggies. I’m not talking about the dog days of summer which bring us endless hordes of drippingly sweet peaches and rainbows of ripe plums. I’m talking about now. Right now. 

In Los Angeles you know it’s just past spring (but not quite summer) when apricots and cherries show up. These early stone fruits are two of my favorites. The mask on my face may hide my glee, but I’m a bit like a “kid in a candy shop” when confronted with huge piles of glistening, ripe red cherries, and barely blushing lightly freckled apricots.

Apricot-Cherry Crumble with Graham Cracker Crust

Maybe it’s just because they share the same season, but apricots and cherries are a classic combination. I’ve paired them before on this blog and almost always on the cusp of summer. This will be the first time I’ve introduced them to COVID-panic-induced graham crackers. But at this time and in this glorious season I think they’re just right for each other. GREG

Apricots and Cherries
Apricot and Cherry Stack
Graham Crackers Stacked
Apricot-Cherry Crumble with Graham Cracker Crust

Apricot-Cherry Crumble with Graham Cracker Crust 

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 6–8Source Adapted from Bon AppetitPublished
Apricot-Cherry Crumble with Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ pound fresh apricots (quartered and pitted)
  • 10 ounce fresh sweet cherries (pitted)
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 5 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 pinch kosher salt (divided)
  • 6 graham crackers
  • 3 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter (cut into ½‑inch dice)
  • ⅓ cup chopped roasted almonds

Directions

Set oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 375°. 

In a large bowl combine apricots, cherries, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine and transfer to a shallow 1 ½‑qt. baking dish.

Crumble the graham crackers until uniformly fine. A ziplock bag and rolling pin is one way to get good results, but you can also use a food processor.

Toss the crumbled crackers, butter, and a pinch of salt together in a medium bowl. Allow the diced butter to come to room temperature then work it into crackers with your fingers until the mixture comes together. Add nuts and remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar and work in with your fingers until combined. Scatter over the fruit.

Bake crumble in the heated oven until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 35–45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.