The stewed dried fruit is reminiscent of festive mincemeat while the crumble topping is melt-in-the-mouth buttery, crisp, crunchy, and deliciously spiced with Christmas flavours.
Similar to a hot indulgent Christmas mince pie or a fruit crumble slice.
Enjoy with a drizzle of vegan cream, or hot custard or a scoop of vegan vanilla ice-cream for the easiest comfort food winter pudding.
Dried fruit crumble is the perfect autumn, fall and winter dessert as only pantry ingredients are required and the dried fruit can be a mix of whatever you have to hand.
If preferred bake these wee vegan crumble desserts in an air-fryer instead of the oven, but do consult the operating booklet for advice on times, temps, etc.
This simple recipe for an Apricot Tart is the perfect solution to your need for quick, summertime desserts. Delicious dried apricots fill a sweet, buttery tart dough; you can even top if all off with whipped cream or ice cream!
Apricots are a fruit that can be a bit more elusive than others. You will commonly see them sold dried or made into jams and preserves. They don’t often make an appearance in the fresh produce department, and when they do, it’s not for long. Apricots are only in season from May to July. While they are sometimes imported, they are delicate and can be damaged easily.
This Apricot Tart is made with dried apricots that are quickly reconstituted with hot water. The dough is a sweet tart dough, also known by its French name Pâte Sucrée, which comes together quickly, using a few pantry staples. An Apricot Tart is the perfect dessert to make anytime of year because it’s easy to make, but also tastes great after any meal.
If you enjoy this recipe and would like to try more recipes using apricots, check out this easy dessert recipe for Apricot Cobbler or this Rosemary Apricot Glazed Turkey.
Recipe for the dried fruit tart for a circle of 18cm by 2.5 high (adapt the recipe to another size!):
- 210g of flour
- 125g of butter
- 35g of powdered sugar
- 40g of roasted hazelnut powder
- one 50g egg
- 75g of semi-salted butter
- 115g of apricot jam
- 160g soft dried apricots
- 120g of de-stoned prunes
- 110g of nuts
- zest of an unwaxed orange
Put the cold butter in pieces with the flour, powdered sugar and hazelnut powder in a container or in the bowl of your mixer. I put roasted hazelnut powder here. You can use classic hazelnut powder or even almond powder.
Mix until you have a sandy consistency with the sheet of your mixer or with your fingertips (so as not to heat the butter). Then add the 50g of egg.
Mix just enough to make a smooth paste, but don’t overdo it.
Form a ball and wrap in cling film and chill for one hour.
Spread on a parchment paper with the help of a little flour, on a thickness of 3mm.
Fill the circle (or a classic mold) placed on the parchment paper.
Make sure to fill in the right angle between the edge of the circle and the bottom. Then cut off the excess dough.
Melt the butter and jam in a saucepan or microwave oven.
Add the soft dried apricots and chopped prunes.
And the orange zest.
Take a deep breath, because the smell is ultra enticing!
Fill the pie and flatten it out.
Arrange them on top of the pie in overlapping crisscrosses.
Trim the excess and press the strips tightly to the edge of the circle.
Chill for 40 minutes then bake for 45 minutes at 180°C.
Carefully remove from a baking rack and let cool before eating!
It’s winter, you have to enjoy it!
This post is also available in ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada), and हिन्दी (Hindi)
In addition, some easy and important tips and suggestion for a perfect and flavoured dry fruit burfi recipe. firstly, the recipe can be extended or experimented with a choice of dry fruits and nuts. you can extend this recipe by adding fig, apricot, pumpkin seeds and even watermelon seeds. secondly, I have not added any extra sugar as the dates and raisins have a sufficient amount of sweetness for this barfi, but you can add extra sugar or even jaggery to make it sweeter to match your taste preference. lastly, the recipe can be stored easily for a month in an airtight container for longer shelf life.
Finally, I request you to visit my other Indian sweet recipes collection with this post on dry fruit barfi recipe. it includes recipes like dry fruit ladoo, dates ladoo, pista badam barfi, kaju barfi, kaju pista roll, rava barfi, mysore pak, badam barfi and rava ladoo recipe. in addition, do visit my other related recipes collection like,
Dry Fruit Barfi Video Recipe
सूखे फल के रेसिपी – हिन्दी में पढ़ें (Dry Fruit Flavours recipes in Hindi)
સૂકા મેવાના વ્યંજન – ગુજરાતી માં વાંચો (Dry Fruit Flavours recipes in Gujarati)
Sweets and desserts using nutrient-dense dry fruits are always are a hit. With their interesting textures and vibrant flavours, dry fruits are a much-loved snack, readily available in most Indian households. A delicious praline made of healthy nuts and seeds, the almond pistachio praline triangles are a great snack for any time of the day.
So, making a sweet or dessert out of them is always a joy. Try your hand at delightful options like Badam Barfi , Paneer Pistachio Rolls , etc.. Easy, quick, irresistibly delicious – that describes the Date and Nut Slice best of all.
Young and old alike drool over crunchy-munchy mixed nut chikkis! Indeed, who can resist the delectable combination of nuts with sugar in a crispy and handy form? The rich flavour and enticing texture of the Dry Fruit Chikki make you want to keep munching on them, and the temptation is even higher if the chikkis are fresh and homemade.
Date and Nut Slices
Anjeer and Mixed Nut Barfi
Walnut Raisin Truffles
Whole Wheat Flour and Jaggery Ladoo
Fresh Pineapple and Dry Fruit Roll
Black Raisin Cookies
Date and Almond Cake with Eggs
What is a fruit crumble?
A crumble is in essence a mix of flour, margarine or butter, and sugar which is rubbed together to form crumbly pieces before being used as a topping over fresh or stewed fruits. Popular additions to the crumble topping include oats, spices, nuts, seeds and desiccated coconut.
Fruit crumbles are said to have originated in England but they are now widely popular across the British Isles as they are budget-friendly, easy, tasty, and warming family puds or desserts. Over in the US a fruit crumble would more likely be called a fruit crisp.
During the British world war two era fruit crumbles were very popular as they provided a cheaper more economical way to enjoy a hot fruit pudding, compared to an apple or fruit pie. The British Ministry of Food provided fruit crumble recipes for citizens to enjoy within the kitchen home front.
Fruit crumbles are the perfect way to use up fresh fruits, frozen fruits and dried fruits. Even more perfect is windfall fruits or blackberries/brambles that are foraged for free as these are ideal for autumn and fall crumbles.
Also reduced priced fruits from the supermarkets that may not be great for eating fresh, are ideal for baking into a homecooked tasty crumble.
During the winter season dried fruits are great for adding to a fruit crumble as they are shelf staple, and are delicious when stewed and enjoyed with a crisp buttery topping.
If you love Christmas mince pies or fruit crumble bars/slice, or even a Scottish fruit slice then this wee tasty dessert is for you!
Recipe notes
- Dried fruit crumble is best eaten on the day of baking as it can become drier as its reheated. Although do add extra vegan cream to compensate!
- Leftover crumble can be left within the baking dishes and covered with food wrap and stored within the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Before reheating remove from the refrigerator and bring up to room temperature so that the dishes do not get shocked at the sudden temp change, as they could crack.
- Reheat at the baking temperature until warmed through. Cover the tops with kitchen foil if preferred to prevent too much browning of the crisp topping.
- Or reheat in an air-fryer.
- Leftover crumble can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost to room temperature before reheating.
What dried fruits can be used for a fruit crumble?
Any dried fruits are perfect for a winter fruit crumble. If the dried fruit is larger than a raisin then do chop them up into smaller pieces.
Tasty dried fruits:
* goji berries
Or use a ready prepared dried fruit mix, the ones intended for Christmas cakes and Christmas puddings.
Can I add fresh fruits to the crumble?
Yes, fresh fruits are a tasty addition to the wee fruit crumbles.
If you have a few fresh berries to use up then they can be added fresh to the dried fruit crumble. Simply add the berries on top of the stewed fruits in the ramekins. Then top with the crumble topping.
A good choice is a few blackberries/brambles, raspberries, blueberries, black or red currants, etc.
Alternatively if you would like to add one or two apples, then stew these along with the dried fruits as depending on the type of apple they may not cook soft in time during baking. If the apples are a less sweet variety then a few extra tablespoons of sugar can be added to the mix.
Fresh orange, tangerine, clementine’s etc, segments are also a tasty addition, and they do not need extra cooking.
Is fruit crumble safe for a gluten-free diet?
Yes. This winter dried fruit crumble can be enjoyed as gluten-free by replacing the self-raising flour with a gluten-free self raising/rising flour blend.
We like using Freee Doves Farm Gluten Free Self-Raising flour, which is available in most UK supermarkets and is a mix of Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize, and Buckwheat flours, with raising agents and xantham gum included in the mix.
Can I use plain or an all-purpose flour for fruit crumble?
Yes. If desired then replace the self-raising or self-rising flour with plain flour or all-purpose flour. Although do add ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the crumble mixture.
I want to make a quick crumble but don’t have dried fruit available or fresh fruits, anything else I could use?
* use a few scoops of fruit jam, fruit preserves, marmalades, etc instead of the stewed dried fruits
More tasty vegan autumn, fall, and winter puddings
Slow cooker old-school steamed jam pudding
Slow cooker traditional British spotted dick
Slow cooker traditional rice pudding
This dried fruit crumble is prepared as 6 individual mini puddings.
The stewed dried fruit is reminiscent of festive sweet mincemeat while the crumble topping is melt-in-the-mouth buttery, crisp and deliciously spiced with Christmas flavours.
Enjoy with a drizzle of vegan cream, or hot custard or a scoop of vegan vanilla ice-cream for the best comfort food winter pudding.
Filling
- Add the dried fruit, orange juice, grated/zested orange rind, sugar and 10 tablespoons of water to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and over a medium heat stew for 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently and add extra tablespoons of water if necessary to prevent sticking. Set aside whilst the topping is prepared.250 grams dried fruit, 3 tablespoon orange juice, 1 whole orange zest, 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 C / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4.
- Add all the crumble ingredients, flour, sugar, mixed spice, margarine, and oats to a mixing bowl and use your fingertips to rub the mixture into clumpy chunky crumbs. Once the crumble can not be easily rubbed but the pieces are still a little large use a cutlery knife to chop briskly through the mixture.100 grams vegan margarine, 80 grams demerara sugar, 75 grams self-raising flour, 100 grams jumbo rolled oats, 2 teaspoon mixed spice
- The crumble topping will be more rustic with larger pieces than a regular crumble.
- Divide the dried fruit mixture between the ramekins. It may not look like much but it is filling!
- Divide the crumble topping between each ramekin.
- Bake on the middle shelf for 25 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden and crisp.
- Serve hot with vegan cream poured over the top or around the sides.
- Nutritional info is provided for guidance only and is not intended to be an exact calculation as ingredients vary.
- Dried fruit crumble is at its best soon after baking.
- Although leftover crumble can be left within the baking dishes and covered with food wrap and stored within the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Before reheating remove from the refrigerator and bring up to room temperature so that the dishes do not get shocked at the sudden temp change as they could crack.
- Reheat at the baking temperature until warmed through. Cover the tops with kitchen foil if preferred to prevent too much browning of the crisp topping.Add
- Or reheat in an air-fryer.
- Add extra vegan cream or custard if the crumble dries out a little after reheating.
- Leftover crumble can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost to room temperature before reheating.
- For the 250g of dried fruit I used 50g dried cherries, 50g dried cranberries, 50g currants, 50g raisins and 50g chopped dried dates. Use whatever dried fruits you have available and chop any larger than raisins.
- The porridge oats used was Quaker Jumbo Rolled Oats, which provided a tasty rustic crumble as the pieces of oats toasted and were large enough to have a good crunchy texture.
- However use ordinary rolled porridge oats if preferred.
- Stork baking spread was used for the crumble topping.
- If no small citrus squeezer/juicer is available for the orange, then just dig a cutlery spoon firmly into a sliced orange, and move it around and it will remove the juice.
Prepared this tasty English Winter Dried Fruit Crumble?
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Thanks so much, Jacq x
How to make Khajoor Dates Barfi with step by step photo
- firstly, in a pan heat 1 tsp ghee. add ½ cup almonds, ½ cup cashew, ¼ cup walnuts, 3 tbsp pumkin seeds, 3 tbsp pistachios, and 2 tbsp sunflower seeds.
- roast on low flame until the nuts turn crunchy. keep aside.
- in a mixer grinder take 1.5 cup dates.
- pulse and grind to a smooth paste.
- in a large kadai heat 1 tsp ghee, add 2 tbsp anjeer, 2 tbsp raisins.
- roast on low flame until they turn aromatic.
- add in ground dates paste and cook on medium flame.
- mash and cook until the dates paste turn glossy.
- further add roasted nuts, ½ tsp cardamom powder, and mix well.
- combine until everything is well combined and starts to hold shape.
- cool slightly, and shape into a small ladoo.
- or you can roll over poppy seeds and shape them into a cylindrical log.
- wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- finally, cut into thick slices and enjoy dry fruit burfi for a month.
FAQ’s
Yes. Wrap the cooled tart tightly in plastic wrap, then foil. Store up to 2 months in the freezer.
How to prepare vegan English Winter Dried Fruit Crumble
Two steps are all that is required to prepare the tastiest autumn and winter comfort food crumble.
Winter fruit crumbles are perfect for those times when no fresh fruits are easily available as a tasty vegan pudding can be whipped up with just a few pantry ingredients.
Use whatever dried fruits you have to hand, and omit the orange zest if preferred.
Replace the orange juice with a splash of Brandy for an extra special Christmas fruit crumble.
First, add your chosen dried fruits to a saucepan. We used a mixture of dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried dates, currants and raisins as that’s what we had to use up in the food cupboard. An already prepared dried fruit mix, those intended for Christmas cakes and puddings, would be perfect.
Add the orange zest, sugar, orange juice and water, and stew for 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the crumble topping.
Using your finger tips rub the margarine into the rest of the ingredients.
This crumble topping is more rustic compared to a finer crumble topping, so it will need to be finished off with a cutlery knife.
Briskly chop the large clumps into smaller ones.
Divide the stewed dried fruits between the six ramekins or small individual baking dishes.
Enjoy the dried fruit crumbles hot with a drizzle of vegan pouring cream if liked. We used Alpro single soya cream which is shelf staple so handy to have in the food cupboard.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- 2 cups dried apricots: this recipe calls for dried apricots. If you are able to find fresh apricots, and prefer to use those, you absolutely can.
- 1/2 cup apricot jam (or preserves)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
You will also need a round 9-inch tart pan.
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
Set the butter and egg out about an hour before you begin to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Once the tart dough is made, it will need to be chilled for about an hour. Do not preheat your oven until the dough is chilled and ready to be rolled out.
Create!
Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Lower the speed and add the egg, then the vanilla.
Mix together the flour and salt and gradually add to the bowl until just combined.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.
Just before removing the dough from the refrigerator, place the dried apricots in a bowl and cover with boiling (or very hot) water. Allow to sit and reconstitute for about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
After the dough has chilled, roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. The dough will need to be rolled out slightly larger than the tart pan that you are using. It’s okay if the dough cracks around the edges. You can pinch it back together with your fingers, if needed.
Once rolled out, roll the dough up around the rolling pin, then carefully unroll it over the tart pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan so that the entire interior is covered in dough. Trim the excess from the edges.
Drain the water from the apricots and mix in the jam. Fill the tart pan evenly with the apricot and jam mixture.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the apricots are hot and bubbly and the tart dough is lightly browned. Allow to cool.
Present!
Once cool, carefully remove the tart from the tart pan.
Serve as is or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Card for Dry Fruit Burfi Recipe
For roasting
- firstly, add dry fruits of your choice, and adjust the proportion accordingly.
- additionally, increase the proportion of dates if you like it sweeter.
- also, do not powder the dry fruits as you won’t enjoy the crunchy bites.
- finally, dry fruit barfi recipe can be rolled in desiccated coconut as well.
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Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Tart Dough)
- Lower the speed and add the egg, then the vanilla.1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix together the flour and salt and gradually add to the bowl until just combined.2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Once rolled out, roll the dough up around the rolling pin, then carefully unroll it over the tart pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan so that the entire interior is covered in dough. Trim the excess from the edges.
Apricot Filling
- Drain the water from the apricots and mix in the jam. Fill the tart pan evenly with the apricot and jam mixture.1/2 cup apricot preserves
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the apricots are hot and bubbly and the tart dough is lightly browned. Allow to cool.
- Once cool, carefully remove the tart from the tart pan.
- Serve as is or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Tips and Techniques
- While this recipe is written with dried apricots, you can absolutely use fresh apricots, if in season.
- It’s okay if the edges of the dough crack as you are rolling it out or placing it into the tart pan. It can be pressed back together with your fingers, as needed.
- Store leftovers tightly wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container at room temperature. Consume within 2-3 days.
- While this recipe is written with dried apricots, you can absolutely use fresh apricots, if in season.
- It’s okay if the edges of the dough crack as you are rolling it out or placing it into the tart pan. It can be pressed back together with your fingers, as needed.
- Store leftovers tightly wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container at room temperature. Consume within 2-3 days.
** Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary.
Why This Recipe Works
An Apricot Tart is very easy to make. Just make a dough, mix the filling, assemble, and bake!
This recipe comes together somewhat quickly. The dough does need time to chill, but it can also be made ahead of time and left to rest in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Fruit tarts are a delicious summertime dessert. Serve your tart with whipped cream or ice cream to make it extra special.