Individual Gooseberry Crumbles {gluten-free}

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Bright and tangy cape gooseberries create a juicy, jammy filling for these individual-sized fruit crumbles. They’re topped with a sweet crumb topping studded with oats and desiccated coconut, plus a hint of lemon zest for a little extra zing.

This post is sponsored by Sprouts. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

When it comes to fruit-forward desserts, nothing allows the fruit to play a starring role quite like a basic crumble. It's incredibly easy to make, requires relatively few ingredients, and turns any sort of fruit into a juicy, syrupy treat that's somewhat akin to pie, except, you know, way less fussy. The beauty of this dessert is in its versatility; you can adapt it to pretty much any fruit under the sun.

In this case, it turns cape gooseberries - a golden, tart, somewhat citrusy tropical fruit - into a sweet, tangy, crumble that bursts with flavor. The crumb topping, a streusel mix studded with rolled oats and coconut threads, adds just the right amount of crunchy texture and sugary sweetness to balance out the tartness of the fruit, and acts as the perfect base for a big ol' scoop of vanilla ice cream served on top. Whether you choose to call this gooseberry-laden dessert a crisp or a crumble - the distinction between them seems to vary depending on who you ask - I can't think of a better way to make use of this unique fruit! This is also a great small-batch recipe if you're not looking to feed a crowd. It makes just two individual gooseberry crumbles.

Mini crumble garnished with a scoop of ice cream and fresh gooseberries, being served with a spoon.

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What are cape gooseberries?
Ingredients and Substitutions
Instructions
Serving tips
Recipe FAQ
Related recipes
Recipe Card
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What are cape gooseberries?

Cape gooseberries - otherwise known by a variety of names including golden berries, ground cherries, and poha - are small round tropical fruits grown in husks, similar to tomatillos. Although they share a name with English gooseberries, the two fruits are entirely different. Cape gooseberries have a golden-orange color when ripe, with the texture of a tomato and a bright, tart, and tangy flavor. The taste is difficult to describe, but leans somewhat citrusy, with a hint of tomato. They can be eaten raw, but are often used in sweet recipes like jams, jellies, and pies, and they add an incredible zing of flavor to these gooseberry crumbles.

Cape gooseberries have a very short season and can be difficult to find, but you can look for them (and plenty of other exotic tropical fruit) at your local Sprouts! They always have a great selection of uncommon and unique produce there; it's the perfect place to discover new ingredients for baking.

Ingredients and Substitutions

In addition to gooseberries, you'll need just a few other ingredients to make these crumbles. Here's the full list:

Amounts are in the recipe card.

Baking Ingredients: Gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking powder; regular all-purpose flour should also work as a 1:1 swap if you're not concerned about this recipe being gluten-free.

Dairy: Salted butter; you can also use unsalted and add an extra ⅛ teaspoon of salt for the crumb topping.

Produce: Cape gooseberries and a whole lemon (for zesting); Orange zest would also work well! When cape gooseberries aren't in season, you can also swap them out for a different fruit, like mixed berries.

Miscellaneous: Unsweetened desiccated coconut threads and gluten-free rolled oats; you can find both of these ingredients in the bulk bin area at Sprouts.

Overhead view of the ingredients used to make a gooseberry crumble.

Instructions

Alright, let's hop right into baking these gooseberry crumbles/crisps.

Step one - Preheat the oven. Set it to 375ºF.

Step two - Prep the crumble topping. Whisk together the dry ingredients for the topping in a small mixing bowl. Add melted butter and mix it in with a small spatula until everything is evenly moistened and begins coming together. At this point, you can use your hands to finish bringing the mixture together into a single ball of dough. Pop the dough in the freezer while you move on to step three.

Dough to make streusel topping clumped into a ball to freeze before baking.

Step three - Prep the gooseberry filling: In a medium bowl, toss the (husked and chopped) cape gooseberries with sugar and flour until they're evenly coated.

A bowl filled with chopped gooseberries tossed in flour and sugar.

Step four - Assemble: Divide the gooseberry filling between two small ramekins (to make the perfect individual-size crumbles!) Use your hands to break up the streusel topping into small crumbs, and sprinkle those over the top of the filling in each ramekin.

Overhead view of two crumbles assembled in ramekins, prior to baking.

Step five - Bake: Place the two ramekins over a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet (to catch any fruit juice as the crumbles cook), and bake them for 25-30 minutes. The filling should be bubbling and the streusel perfectly golden when they're done.

Overhead view of two fruit crumbles on a safety grater, surrounded by fresh gooseberries.

Serving tips

These crumbles are best served warm from the oven, while the gooseberry filling is extra jammy, and the streusel topping is crisp and buttery. Although they don't need any additions, they're even better served with a cold scoop of vanilla ice cream or a fluffy dollop of whipped cream. The creaminess does a great job of cutting through the tang of the cape gooseberries, and wraps all of the flavors together in a neat little envelope of deliciousness.

Overhead view of an individual crumble topped with a scoop of ice cream and garnished with a gooseberry.

Recipe FAQ

Can I make these crumbles with a different fruit?

Yes! When cape gooseberries aren't in season, you can swap them with any other fruit typically used in a crumble. You may need to adjust the amount of flour in the filling depending on the juiciness of the fruit you use, but berries work well as a direct substitute. You can also swap half of the gooseberries in this filling with a different fruit to switch up the flavor. Raspberries would be a great addition, since they have a similarly sweet-tart flavor.

Can these crumbles be stored and reheated to serve later?

These gooseberry crumbles are best served fresh, and since the recipe only makes two individual servings, it should be easy to polish them off quickly. But if you do decide to make them ahead, cover them with plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve them. You can reheat them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to warm them back up.

When you can't get your hands on cape gooseberries, try one of these other crisp or crumble recipes!

Looking for another crumble recipe for two? These dairy-free pear crumbles are warm, cozy, and perfect for cooler fall months. Or try these vegan apple pie crumbles for another great fall option!

This strawberry apple crumble is one of my all-time favorites, and can be made virtually year-round.

For another recipe with a tropical twist, try these raspberry coconut crisps! They're gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free.

Rhubarb is another tart fruit that turns perfectly tangy-sweet when cooked with sugar. Add it to berries to make these strawberry rhubarb crumbles!

If you try this recipe, please take a moment to leave a rating and review at the bottom of this post! I truly appreciate the feedback. You can also share a photo of your creation and tag me on Instagram; it's so fun to see what you all are baking!

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