How to make apple crumble; soft and sweet apples baked with a buttery, crisp, cinnamon-laced crumble topping! (Easy to make vegan-friendly!)
There’s a lot to be said for comforting desserts at this time of year.
It’s easy to love an impressive creation, complete with intricate detail and precision. However, it’s even easier to love something that’s as simple as it is delicious. Whether you’re the one making or eating it, desserts that can satisfy without hours of effort are glorious.
An apple crumble is a perfect example of such a pud. With no need for skill, painstakingly accurate measurements, careful timing, or expensive ingredients, this is a recipe for even total novices.
Soft baked apples, spiked with cinnamon, nestling under a blanket of crisp buttery crumble. What more does a dark winter evening call for?
This apple crumble is filling enough to be a second course, a snack, or even a very lush breakfast. I never crave any other dessert as much as this one when the nights start to drop below freezing in Scotland. Served up with cream, custard, or ice cream, and you’ve got an absolute banger in a bowl.
If you find yourself with an abundance of apples after over-buying, or getting a bit ambitious about your new resolution to eat more fruit, this apple crumble is an ideal bake. In fact, the same applies to pears, plums, berries, peaches, or apricots too! (CHECK OUT THIS WINTER BERRY CRUMBLE)
As long as you can chop up an apple and rub your hands through some flour and butter, you can definitely make this apple crumble. If you want detailed video instructions, you can find the video version of this recipe here.
Even if you’ve chosen to take on Veganuary this year, you’ll love this recipe! All you have to do is swap the butter for a plant-based butter or margarine alternative. It’s a great dessert for this month. Whether you’re looking to cut down on animal products, or incorporate healthier habits into your life, this is a proper treat that fits right in with both.
I hope you love this apple crumble as much as we do, and I hope the new year is treating you well so far. Thanks as always!
Want to save this Apple Crumble for later? You can pin the image below:
To make this Apple Crumble, simply follow the recipe below!
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 5 regular eating apples
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp maple or golden syrup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
For the crumble topping:
- 100g (½ cup) dark or light brown sugar
- 100g (6 ½ tbsp) cold salted butter, cut into small cubes (or use plant-based butter/margarine to make this recipe VEGAN!)
- 90g (¾ cup) plain flour
- 90g (1 cup) rolled oats
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp mixed spice (or a mix of nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves)
Instructions
For the apple filling:
- Peel and chop the apples into small chunks. If you prefer a soft texture, chop them smaller, if you prefer a crisper texture, chop them larger!
- Place your apple chunks into a medium saucepan with the remaining filling ingredients.
- Put the saucepan over a low heat and cook the apple filling gently for 5-10 minutes, or until beginning to soften and look evenly coated.
- Tip your apple filling into a 20 x 20cm (8 x 8in) glass or ceramic baking dish. Set aside while you make your crumble topping.
For the crumble topping:
- Preheat your oven – 180 C / 160 C fan / 350 F / gas mark 4.
- In a large bowl, weigh out all your crumble topping ingredients.
- With clean hands, pinch and rub all the crumble topping ingredients together for 3-5 minutes. You want to achieve a sort of breadcrumb texture with chunky crumbles.
- Tip all of the crumble topping onto your apple filling, and spread out loosely but evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes. The crumble should be golden and crisp, and the apples tender.
- Allow the dish to sit for 5-10 minutes once out of the oven to cool slightly, before serving up warm with cream, custard, or ice cream.
- Enjoy!
This is always my go-to crumble recipe; the only thing I change is the fruit I use. Your recipes are always well-written with excellent results.