As much as I love baking, sometimes I just to make something quick. With the blistering heat capping off at 100 degrees, the last thing I want is my oven on for several hours. My current go-to? Fruit crumbles. They're so versatile and perfect for the summer with the abundance of fruit. Today I'm shining some light on underrated apricots and making a chai spiced apricot almond crumble. Top it off with some vanilla ice cream and you have the definition of a summer dessert.

Print Recipe

Chai Spiced Apricot Almond Crumble

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pie

Servings: 6

Author: Cherry on My Sundae

Ingredients

• 2 lb apricots ripe
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup almond butter smooth
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ground
• ¼ teaspoon ginger ground
• ¼ teaspoon allspice ground
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom ground
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves ground
• 1 ½ cups fine almond flour
• ¾ cup brown sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Prep the apricots. Cut the apricot in half and remove the pit. Slice each half into 2-3 slices, depending on the size of the apricot. Gently toss the sliced apricots with 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon lime zest, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the fruit mixture into a 9x9 baking dish and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Melt ½ cup butter in a small pan over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter until it begins to brown and smells nutty. Remove the brown butter from heat and stir in ¼ cup almond butter and ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, and ⅛ teaspoon cloves. Stir in 1 ½ cups fine almond flour and ¾ cup brown sugar until well combined.
• Scatter the chai spiced crumble on top of the apricots in an even layer. Bake the crumble for 45 minutes-1 hour or until the crumble is well browned and the juices are bubbling. Let cool slightly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

I realize that this chai spiced apricot almond crumble has fall flavors in the middle of summer. Blame it on my anticipation for the next season and cooler days. You can skip the spices if you want to keep it purer but I sure do love my chai flavors.

This crumble is different from standard crumbles for two reasons. The chai spices and the almond crumble. We're switching out all-purpose flour for almond flour and even adding almond butter to the mix. It may sound strange but it's actually very good. And what do you know! I accidentally made a gluten-free vegan dessert!

To make this dessert, start by marinating sliced apricots in brown sugar, lime juice and zest, cornstarch, and vanilla. If your apricots are on the firmer side, you can cut down on the cornstarch and use a total of 1 teaspoon. I personally like my fruit juices nice and syrupy so I keep it at 2 teaspoons.

While the apricots are doing its thing, make the almond crumble. Melt the butter in a pan until it becomes browned and nutty. Stir in the almond butter and chai spices until well combined. Add the fine almond flour and brown sugar and mix until crumbly. If you can't find fine almond flour, almond meal will also work. The main difference between the two is that almond meal still has the skins while almond flour doesn't.

Top the apricots with the crumble and bake for about 45 minutes or until the crumble is well browned and the juices are bubbling. I like to put the baking dish on a baking tray just in case the juices spill over.

Let the chai spiced apricot almond crumble cool slightly before serving it with a healthy dollop of ice cream. This crumble topping has so much flavor and a beautiful crust for the lovely apricots. It's butterier then standard crumbles, but there's nothing wrong with that!

For more apricot inspiration check out this blackberry apricot buckle cake!