The Best Apple Crumble.

This is a divine Apple Crumble recipe with just the best nubbly and crunchy crumble topping. It is a great dessert for feeding a crowd and can be made ahead and reheated for easy entertaining. Plus it makes your kitchen smell absolutely heavenly.

This is an old fashioned traditional Apple Crumble recipe without oats. I prefer mine fuss free and simple with only a few ingredients. and a buttery, crumbly topping.

Perfect for a Sunday Lunch pudding. Comfort food at it's best, just like my Treacle Sponge and Jam Sponge recipes. Retro but still damn epic.

I have felt like the best Mum EVER this week handing out bowls of this spiced apple warmth drowned in custard to my ankle biters.

"Watch out it's hot!" I advised as "Storm Gareth" buffeted the house around us, their happy faces wide eyed at their steaming bowls. Normally they only get an ice pop........

*There is a complete printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.*

Jump to:

• Which apples are best for Apple Crumble?
• Ingredients
• Method
• More Easy Apple Recipes
• Apple Crumble

I tend to use 800 grams from my Stewed Apples recipe. But I have given you the recipe below to make the stewed apples from scratch.

Which apples are best for Apple Crumble?

I do recommend Bramley Apples as they really are the best choice of cooking apples. They have a tartness that is perfect for baking with and break down really well when cooked. Click here for more info about great apple varieties to cook and bake with.

Equipment Required

• scales
• peeler
• chopping board
• knife
• large saucepan
• wooden spoon
• 22 cm x 15 cm baking dish or similar
• food processor or mixing bowl

Ingredients

• 1 kg (35 oz) cooking apples
• 150 grams (5.3 oz) caster sugar
• 25 grams (1.76 oz) unsalted butter
• 50 mls water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Crumble

• 170 grams (4.9 oz) plain flour
• 100 grams (3.17 oz) butter
• 90 grams (2.82 oz) sugar

Method

• Peel and chop the cooking apples into roughly 2 cm chunks and add to a large saucepan. Sprinkle over the 1 tsp of cinnamon (optional, it does make the apple mixture brown!) and then tip in the 50 mls water and 150 grams sugar.
• You want to bring the apple mixture up to a simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Stir it every minute or so to make sure it isn't catching on the bottom and to encourage the apple to break down a little. I like to have about half puree and half intact apple chunks.

Taste to check that the apple mixture is sweet enough. Add more sugar if it is not.

• Stir through the butter.

• Spoon the apple mixture into your baking dish. I use one that is about 22 cm x 15 cm . It should be roughly this size. Too small and the crumble can be stodgy and much bigger and it won't layer up nicely.
• Do add more sugar if your stewed apples need it. Apples sharpness can vary greatly and you may need more sugar sometimes.

• To make the crumble topping the easiest way is to use a food processor. A couple of pulses and the butter is rubbed in perfectly. I love it deeply it's so incredibly easy and fast. However it is also fine to rub in the cold butter using just your fingers.

• You are after a breadcrumb vibe. Once you have breadcrumbs then keep going until it starts to clump together. That will give the topping an INCREDIBLE shortbread buttery, crunchy bite to your crumble. When you have that going on then stir the sugar through.

• If you like an extra crunchy crumble top you can always give your crumble topping a quick toast on a baking tray before putting it on top of the crumble.

• About ten minutes at 180 C/350 F/Gas Mark 4. Keep an eye on it though as it can easily catch. You want lightly coloured. Let it cool and then break it up with a fork.

• If you have pre baked  your topping then heat the apples up in the dish covered in tin foil for about 15 minutes at 180 C/350 F/Gas Mark 4 and then remove the tin foil, check it's hot enough and sprinkle over the toasted crumble. Pop it back in the oven for another 10/15 minutes then serve as normal.
• If not toasting the crumble beforehand then scatter the unbaked crumble topping over the stewed apples.

• Bake for 35/45 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. The cooking time can vary depending on how hot your apples were going into the oven, the actual temperature of your oven and what sort and size your dish is.
• Smaller than my noted size dish will have a thicker layer of crumble and so will take longer to bake through and the crumble may still be under baked in places. As a rough guide you are looking for the crumble topping to be about ¼ the depth of the apple mixture.
• Just use your common sense and don't be afraid to get it out and have a little scrape of the crumble particularly in the middle.
• To get ahead then make this crumble up until you are ready to bake and then cover and set aside. If baking the next day then store in the fridge. Remove the cover and bake for 40-50 minutes if straight from the fridge or the recommended standard time if at room temperature.

How To Make Tips

• Taste to check that the apple mixture is sweet enough. Add more sugar if it is not.
• It is very simple to make it gluten free. You merely substitute the plain flour for gluten free flour.
• You are after a breadcrumb vibe with your crumble topping. Once you have breadcrumbs then keep going until it starts to clump together. That will give the topping an INCREDIBLE shortbread buttery, crunchy bite to your crumble.
• I store any leftovers in the baking dish simply covered with silver foil. Making sure it is cold I then keep it in the fridge. If there is only a small portion left I would transfer to a smaller bowl.
• I find the best and easiest way to reheat is to cover with cling film or a plate and use the microwave. Be careful hot fruit is like lava.
• If you have made the crumble before hand then pop it in the oven at 180 C/350 F/Gas Mark 4 for 20 - 30 minutes until piping hot throughout. Use a silver foil hat if it starts to darken too much on top.
•  Apple Crumble freezes well. I prefer to freeze it unbaked in something like a Pyrex dish and double cover it with silver foil. Defrost overnight and then bake as normal. Recently I bought some Pyrex dishes with freezer lids. Genius for this sort of thing.

 What Do I Serve With Apple Crumble?

I like to eat mine with double cream, a puddle of it. But the rest of my family loves Vanilla Custard.

There is of course Vanilla Ice Cream. I have served it with mincemeat ice cream too.

More Easy Apple Recipes

Apple Crumble Cake

Apple Crumble Pie

Spiced Apple Muffins

Apple Pie

Deep Fried Apple Pies

Do let me know how you get on in the comments below or come on over and join me on social media. I would love to see you there x