Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (2024)

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Perhaps one of my all-time favourite desserts. This apple crumble recipe is easy to make yet incredibly comforting, especially when smothered in warm custard.

I love mine to have a warm, spicy taste, so I add a generous helping of cinnamon, but if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. Also, some people suggest boiling the apples before cooking them, but I don’t bother, I find they come out too mushy, and it ruins the texture of the finished product.

Nothing can beat a homemade apple crumble. Shop-bought ones always seem to lack the flavour (not to mention you hardly get any!)

Everyone in the family loved it and agreed it was the best apple crumble they had tasted.

Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (1)

What’s The Difference Between Crumble, Crisp and Cobbler?

Apple crumble, apple crisp, and apple cobbler- you’ve probably heard of all three but might not know the difference between them.

An apple crumble is originally from England, typically made with flour, sugar and butter, with a fine, crumbly topping.

Cobbler is an American dessert, typically made with flour, sugar, butter and oats; the topping is a biscuit or pie dough.

And finally, a crisp is essentially the same as a crumble, but the topping is made with oats, which also crisps up when cooking, giving it its name.

Can I Add Rhubarb?

Yes, if you want to make rhubarb crumble instead. Add ten sticks of rhubarb, cut into 1-inch chunks, and add 80g of sugar to a saucepan, and boil until soft, adding more sugar if you want the rhubarb sweeter. Then, continue with the recipe as normal.

You could also add in some fresh blackberries to make an apple and blackberry crumble.

How To Make Apple Crumble

Start off by adding the flour to the bowl. To make sure it mixes in well, add in the cinnamon now.

Next, mix in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Here, if you’re in a hurry, you can use a bit of a cheat, but it might sacrifice the texture slightly. Once you’ve started combining the ingredients, you can use an electric mixer to do the rest for you, but make sure to add more flour if the crumble is sticking together in balls of dough.

Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (2)

Peel all the apples, cut out the bruises you often find with cooking apples, and slice them into slices 5mm (1/5 inch) thick.

If you want, you can make the slices a different thickness, but make sure you are consistent, or else the texture of all the apples will be different.

Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (3)

Place the apples in the baking dish (a ceramic or Pyrex dish works best), and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. demerara sugar to take out the bitter and acidic taste of the cooking apples.

Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (4)

Add the cinnamon to achieve that iconic warm, hearty taste associated with apple desserts. I really love cinnamon in desserts; if it’s not your thing, then feel free to leave it out or add in slightly less.

Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (5)

Cover evenly with the crumble, and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes when the surface should have coloured to a lovely golden brown.

Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (6)

Serve with custard or ice cream for the best experience, and be careful, as it may all be gone quicker than you think!

Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (7)

Apple Crumble

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Nothing beats a warm, hearty apple crumble, and it's very simple to make. Perfect with fresh custard.

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 200g demerara sugar
  • 200g butter, chilled, diced
  • 2 tsp cinnamon (for the crumble)
  • 3 or 4 medium bramley cooking apples, depending on dish size
  • 1 tbsp demerara sugar (for the filling)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (for the filling)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4/350°F
  2. Add the flour and cinnamon to a mixing bowl, and mix.
  3. Add the chilled butter.
  4. Rub the flour and butter together between your thumbs in a mixing bowl until they resemble breadcrumbs.
  5. Add the sugar, and toss the crumble to integrate all of the sugar.
  6. For the filling, peel all the apples, and slice to about half a centimetre thick.
  7. Place the apples evenly in the baking dish, and sprinkle with the 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
  8. Cover with the crumble mixture, but make sure not to compact it.
  9. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden-brown on the surface.
  10. Serve with custard or ice cream and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 624Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 217mgCarbohydrates: 91gFiber: 5gSugar: 48gProtein: 6g

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Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good crumble? ›

❓FAQ
  • Use cold butter. This will help to create a crumbly texture that will not stick together when baking.
  • Use a mix of flour and oats. The oats will add a bit of crunch and texture to the topping.
  • Don't overmix the ingredients. The crumble topping should be made with a "coarse" crumb.
Jun 5, 2023

What is the difference between apple crumble and apple crisp? ›

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

What is crumble topping made of? ›

As its name suggests, crumb topping is a dessert topping. It's a simple mixture of butter, sugar, and flour, and is typically used to top pies or muffins prior to baking for a crunchy, sweet contrast.

Why is my apple crumble not crunchy? ›

The main reason your crumble topping isn't crunchy is probably because you haven't used Demerara sugar. Although, it could also be that you've got your topping ingredient quantities wrong: either too much or not enough flour and butter alongside the sugar.

How do you keep crumble topping crisp? ›

By freezing your topping, it makes it harden just slightly and that means the texture will be nice and crispy when it's cooked.”

How do you make Martha Stewart apple crumble? ›

In a large bowl, toss together apples, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; transfer to prepared dish. In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt until large pieces form. Scatter over filling.

Why is it called Brown Betty? ›

This has led some historians to believe that Betty was the name of the cook and creator of the recipe and that brown was in reference to her skin color.

What is the top of apple crumble made of? ›

Place the flour, demerara sugar and butter into a mixing bowl and rub with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats. Scatter onto the apples and then sprinkle the extra sugar on top.

How to tell when a crumble is done? ›

Bake the crumble.

Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 25 to 30 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Leave to stand for 5-10 minutes, then serve warm with custard or ice cream.

Is plain or SR flour better for crumble topping? ›

You can use white or wholemeal flour for a crumble topping, plain usually, but if all you've got is self-raising it doesn't really make a difference.

Why is my crumble topping soggy? ›

Too much butter and your topping will become a greasy blob or disappointingly soggy. Some recipes will ask you to cut in cold butter along with your dry ingredients, resulting in pea-size pieces that are sprinkled across the hot fruit filling.

Why put baking powder in crumble topping? ›

First, adding a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour mixture makes the crumble topping more tender. Second, using cold butter and working it into the flour mixture makes for a pastry-like topping reminiscent of pie crust. Pro tip: Crumble topping freezes incredibly well and can be kept on hand for crumble anytime.

Should butter be cold for crumble? ›

A well-made crumb should be firm yet tender, and chewy, with big chunks—like granola. The best way to achieve this is to use cold cubed butter. Using room-temperature or melted butter will cause the topping to spread out and flatten when it bakes, rather than standing pert and perky.

Why doesn't my crumble go brown? ›

Bake an oven thermometer and see if it agrees with the temperature you think your oven is set at. It could also be that the top element (broil/grill) in the oven isn't working - this is usually on in most ovens when baking, but if it was off wouldn't allow proper browning of the crumble.

Why is my apple crumble bitter? ›

Do you peel and core the apples? Peel sometimes adds bitterness.

Is it better to use cold or room temperature butter for crumble? ›

A well-made crumb should be firm yet tender, and chewy, with big chunks—like granola. The best way to achieve this is to use cold cubed butter. Using room-temperature or melted butter will cause the topping to spread out and flatten when it bakes, rather than standing pert and perky.

How do you make a crumble not soggy? ›

Use the Right Amount of Butter

Not enough butter, and your topping will be a dry, floury mess. Too much butter and your topping will become a greasy blob or disappointingly soggy.

What does cornstarch do in a crumble? ›

It is often mixed with a small amount of cold liquid to create a slurry to thicken sauces. When added to cake, cookie, pie filling and shortbread recipes, cornstarch helps create a crumbly and tender dessert-like texture. Commercially, cornstarch is often used as an anti-caking agent.

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