The Best Apple and Cinnamon Crumble recipe

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One of my personal favourite desserts is a crumble and this apple crumble isn’t your usual crumble it is a cinnamon apple crumble. My Mum makes a great crumble so it’s only fitting that we have a great recipe.

For me, the perfect crumble should have a little more fruit filling compared to the crumble. The crumble should be a little crunchy and the fruit soft, sweet and sticky.

Apple and Cinnamon Crumble recipe

Prep – 15 Minutes

Cook time – 25 Minutes

Ingredients

Crumble topping:

• 240g Plain Flour
• 120g Caster Sugar (If you don’t have caster sugar, other white sugar will work just as well)
• 160g Unsalted Butter (room temperature cut into pieces)

Fruit filling:

• 800g Bramley apple (roughly 5 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm chunks). If you are unable to find Bramley apples in your supermarket, some tart apples like Granny Smith apples would work just as well.
• 60g Unsalted cold butter
• 50g Soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp Ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to gas mark 5 (190c).
• Add all the crumble ingredients into a large bowl and rub together to make a “breadcrumb”.
• Put this to one side and start to prepare the filling.
• Add the sugar, cinnamon and butter to a pan and gently heat until it looks like golden syrup.
• Mix in the chunks of apple and cook them for a few minutes so they start to soften.
• Pour the apple mix into a shallow bowl in a nice even layer.
• Carefully sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the top of the apples.
• Pop in the oven for 25 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling along the edges of the bowl.
• Leave to cool, serve and enjoy!

If you would like to print the recipe card for this easy apple crumble recipe, just click below.

What is the secret to a good crumble?

The secret to a good crumble is achieving the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavours, along with a crisp and golden topping. Here are some key tips for making a delicious crumble:

1. Fruit: Use fresh, ripe fruit for the best flavour. A mix of sweet and tart fruits works well, such as apples and berries or peaches and plums.
2. Sweetness: Adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Taste the fruit and adjust the sugar accordingly to achieve a nice balance.
3. Spices: Add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or a hint of vanilla to enhance the flavour of the fruit and add warmth to the dish.
4. Topping: The topping should be a crumbly mixture of flour, sugar, butter, and sometimes oats or nuts. Make sure the butter is cold and use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
5. Texture: The crumble should have a mix of larger and smaller crumbs to create a varied and crunchy texture. Be careful not to overmix the topping.
6. Baking: Bake the crumble in a preheated oven until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown and crispy. Cover with foil if the topping browns too quickly.

By following these tips, you can create a delicious and comforting crumble that is sure to impress your family and friends! Another name for the crumbly topping is brown sugar streusel, so don’t get confused if you see that mentioned.

We use a heart-shaped pie dish we purchased from Next many moons ago for our apple crumble. They don’t sell the exact one anymore, though any oven dish would work well. Just remember that if you use a smaller dish but make the crumble deeper, it will need just a little longer to ensure it is cooked through.

How do you keep crumble crispy?

To help keep your crumble topping crispy, here are a few tips you can try:

1. Don’t over-mix the crumble: Avoid overworking the crumble mixture when combining the ingredients. Keep the mixture crumbly and don’t pack it down too tightly.
2. Ensure proper ventilation: Make sure there is enough space around the edges of the baking dish for steam to escape while baking. This helps prevent the crumble from becoming soggy.
3. Use a shallow baking dish: Using a shallower baking dish allows more of the crumble topping to be exposed to direct heat, which can help maintain its crispiness.
4. Preheat the oven: Ensure the oven is preheated to the correct temperature before baking the crumble. A hot oven helps the crumble to start crisping up right away.
5. Consider a brief broil: If your crumble is not as crispy as you’d like after baking, you can briefly place it under the broiler for a minute or two. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.
6. Serve immediately: Crumbles are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven when the topping is at its crispiest. If preparing in advance, you can reheat individual portions in the oven to revive the crispiness.

By following these tips, you can help maintain the crispiness of your crumble topping and enjoy a delightful contrast of textures in your dessert.

What do you serve with a crumble?

I love fresh custard with my crumble, it is the perfect way to finish it off however though you can’t go wrong with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top while the crumble is still piping hot!

This recipe creates its juice as it bakes, why not try it on its own? It is the perfect dessert to enjoy after a long day!

Great recipes using fresh apples

If you still have fresh apples left over, here are some great apple desserts for you to try out.

• Apple crisp – Great to eat on their own or sprinkled over a fresh cake.
• Apple turnovers – One of the best things to treat yourself to if you are in the bakery, so why not try at home?
• Apple strudel – Delicious when cooked with lots of spice mixture and currents.
• Apple cake – Not something traditionally made in the UK but so good!
• Apple pie – Using a similar filling to the crumble, the apple pie filling is added to a delicious buttery pie.

There are plenty of apple recipes out there to try, it is just about finding one you love. As the apple season changes, you may find yourself using different apples such as Pink Lady or Braeburn for your apple recipes, this may require a slight tweak in the sugar or spices in the apple mixture depending on how tart the fruit is. Don’t forget, a little bit of lemon juice also slows down the browning of sliced apple, so if you are taking a little longer making your dessert, just add a little in.

We think this is the best apple crumble recipe you are going to find but we would love to know what you think. You can find more easy-to-follow recipes on our Pinterest account found here.