Apple-Blueberry Crisp With Panko-Pistachio Topping 

By Andy Baraghani

Published Oct. 11, 2024

Apple-Blueberry Crisp With Panko-Pistachio Topping 
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1½ hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1¼ hours
Rating
5(286)
Comments
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A crisp is one of the easiest high-reward desserts to put together, especially for those of us who prefer a pint of ice cream on most nights. Why not have both? What’s special about this crisp is that it takes the assignment seriously, with panko bread crumbs in the topping, for extra crispness, and a pinch of cardamom for added warmth. Underneath, the blueberries become molten as they bake, and the lemon juice brings out apple’s tart pleasures. Like any warm crisp, this one is best served with a scoop of ice cream.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

    For the Panko-pistachio Topping

    • ¾cup/110 grams shelled pistachios or other nuts (pecans, walnuts and/or almonds), coarsely chopped
    • ¾ cup/105 grams all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup/75 grams panko bread crumbs
    • ¾cup/175 grams light brown or granulated sugar
    • 1½teaspoons ground cardamom
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½cup unsalted butter, melted

    For the Fruit Filling and Assembly

    • 3pounds tart, firm apples such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Granny Smith (about 6 medium apples)
    • 2½cups/12 ounces blueberries
    • ¼cup/58 grams light brown or granulated sugar
    • 1tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Vanilla ice cream or cold heavy cream, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

491 calories; 19 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 78 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 51 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 260 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    For the topping: Combine the pistachios, flour, panko, sugar, cardamom and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter and work the mixture with your fingers or a fork until there are no dry spots remaining; it should look very crumbly but hold together when squeezed. There will be crumbles that are as small as sand and larger ones that are about the size of a quarter.

  2. Step 2

    For the filling: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel and core the apples then cut into 1-inch wedges. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, toss together the apples, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla in a 3-quart baking dish.

  3. Step 3

    Scatter the panko-pistachio topping over the fruit filling. Bake until the crisp is browned, the apples are tender and the filling is bubbling around the edges, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving with a scoop of ice cream or a splash of cold cream.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
286 user ratings
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Comments

Meghan

We really enjoyed this variant on the crisp. The panko added a lovely crunch, and the cardamom brought a lovely warmth and paired well with the nuts and other flavours. Will definitely use this recipe again, with a touch less sugar. Also pairs well with yoghurt for a less sweet option.

Snew

I just made this as written, using Honeycrisp and frozen wild blueberries. After 40 minutes, apples were still fairly hard but topping was quite brown. I covered it and baked 15 more minutes. Must have been the chill from the frozen berries. Next time I’ll cover at the beginning and remove later to let it brown.

Melinda

Are frozen blueberries ok to use?

shinybluestuds

Reduced the crumble sugar to 1/2 c and used the walnuts I had on hand. It was the perfect balance of sweet and salty. The topping had such a pleasant crunch to it.

Peter

This recipe was a disappointment, especially the panko topping. We much prefer using rolled oats in the topping rather than panko. I also thought raspberries or blackberries would have worked better with the apples than the blueberries.

Denise

Has anyone successfully halved this recipe? Do you have any pointers?

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