When I was a little girl, the mother of one of my closest friends used to make the most delicious nectarine crisp. Our family liked it so much that my mom borrowed the recipe and made it nearly every week for a month straight largely at my request. I couldn’t get enough of it. To this day, I am still a sucker for a good crisp or crumble.

So, it seemed only natural that this summer, while stone fruit is in season, I had my mind on plums – specifically spiced plums with orange. I used this post from The Kitchn as a guide to create my own crumble recipe. Cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest make for a warmly flavored take on a summer dessert.

Topped with a small dollop of ice cream, this may be the perfect late summer treat. Packed with fresh fruit, but full of spice, it’s a great bridge into a new season.

Spiced Plum Crumble

Ingredients

Crumble:

1/4 c. rolled oats

1/4 c. walnuts

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

8 tbsp. cold butter

Zest from 1/2 of an orange

Filling:

2 lb. plums, sliced into wedges

1/2 c. sugar

3 tbsp. fresh orange juice (from the orange used in your topping)

3 tbsp. cornstarch

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the plums into wedges, about a 1/2 an inch thick. They don’t have to be exact. Next, zest your orange.

Place the plums in a large bowl. Then, add the sugar, orange juice, cornstarch, spices and a few turns of freshly cracked black pepper. Stir to combine.

In the bowl of food processor, add your walnuts. Pulse a few times, until they are about the consistency of flour. Now, add the oats, whole wheat flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, orange zest, cinnamon and salt. Pulse to combine.

Take your butter out of the fridge now and slice it into 1/2 inch pieces. Then, chop each in half. Add them to the food processor and pulse to combine. The topping should look like wet sand.

Add the fruit to an 8×8 or 9×9 glass pan. Now, sprinkle the topping over the fruit, filling in any gaps until the fruit is covered evenly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. When lightly browned and bubbly, pull it out of the oven. Let it cool 15 minutes before eating. Then, enjoy with a scoop of ice cream or on its own.