Crockpot Spiced Plum and Hazelnut Brown Butter Crisp

This slow-cooker crisp turns ripe purple plums into a jewel-toned, spiced compote beneath a crunchy hazelnut brown butter topping. The hands-off method lets the fruit caramelize into a ruby-violet syrup while the topping toasts to a nutty golden crust.

Serve it warm with a cold dollop of crème fraîche for a dessert that feels both rustic and special. It’s the kind of recipe that makes a weeknight feel like a late-summer evening.

This Crockpot spiced plum and hazelnut brown butter crisp is the easiest way to get a deeply flavorful fruit dessert without turning on the oven. Halved plums are tossed with star anise, cinnamon, and orange zest, then topped with a mixture of roasted hazelnuts, oats, brown sugar, and brown butter.

Slow-cooking on high for two and a half hours transforms the fruit into a thick, syrupy compote while the topping becomes crisp and caramelized. The result is a warm, comforting dessert that tastes like it took far more effort than it did. A spoonful of cold crème fraîche cuts through the sweetness and adds a tangy finish.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Cooking the crisp in a slow cooker creates a sealed, moist environment that gently steams the plums, coaxing out their natural juices and concentrating their flavor.

The low, steady heat breaks down the fruit’s cell walls slowly, so the plums collapse into a thick, jammy syrup without turning mushy. The topping, meanwhile, sits above the fruit, away from the liquid, allowing it to toast and crisp rather than becoming soggy.

Brown butter is the secret weapon here. Made by cooking butter until the milk solids turn golden and nutty, it adds a deep, toasty flavor that complements the hazelnuts and spiced plums.

The star anise and cinnamon infuse the fruit with warm, aromatic notes, while the orange zest adds brightness. The slow cooker does all the work, making this a true dump-and-go dessert that fills the kitchen with an irresistible scent.

Notes and substitutions

Choose plums that are ripe but still firm enough to hold their shape during cooking. Purple plums are ideal for their deep color and sweet-tart flavor, but black or red plums work too. If your plums are on the tart side, you can add a tablespoon of sugar to the fruit mixture, though the brown sugar in the topping will also help balance the acidity.

Roasted hazelnuts are available in most supermarkets, but you can toast raw hazelnuts yourself in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, then rub off the skins. Old-fashioned oats give the topping a hearty texture; quick oats will work but yield a softer crust. Brown butter can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week—just melt it gently before using.

• purple plums: black plums or red plums; if plums are very tart, add 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar to the fruit.
• roasted chopped hazelnuts: roasted chopped almonds or pecans; for a nut-free version, use sunflower seeds or omit and increase oats by 1/2 cup.
• old-fashioned oats: quick oats (texture will be softer) or gluten-free oats for a gluten-free crisp.
• brown butter: melted unsalted butter; the flavor will be less nutty but still delicious.

Equipment

• 6-quart slow cooker
• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Wooden spoon or spatula