Easy Apple Crumble Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good crumble? ›

Tips for making the perfect crumble

Mark Bowerman says: "Rub the butter in fairly quickly, and not too perfectly – a fine, dusty texture at this stage spoils the fun. Use a shallowish dish if you've got a wet fruit mixture, otherwise the crumble will start to dissolve before it's baked. Custard. Yum."

Apple crumble recipe topping is typically made of butter, sugar and flour which gets topped on the cooked fruit filling. To add an extra element of texture and flavour, oats, coconut, nuts and cinnamon can be added to the crumble mix.

Butter, which encourages both browning and crispness, is the magic ingredient in getting your topping just right, so follow the recipe instructions. But if you feel your topping is still too dry and crumbly, (even for a crumble) add a bit more melted butter, a tablespoon at a time.

How do you prevent apples going mushy in crumble? Bramley apples (also known as cooking apples) will cook down and become beautifully soft and fluffy. If you prefer more distinct apple pieces, use eating apples and reduce the sugar quantity a little (as they are naturally sweeter than Bramley apples).

No, our crumb topping recipe uses cold butter, which is mixed into the sugar and flour mixture. Melted butter would not work for this recipe.

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.

All you need to make a crumble topping is flour, sugar and butter. Rub cold cubes of butter into the flour using your finger tips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can stir ingredients such as oats and flaked almonds into the mixture to add some texture, if you like.

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.

A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.

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.

What happens if you put too much butter in crumble? ›

Too much butter in proportion to flour? The crust will crumble on you once it is cooked. If you use way too much butter …. more like little clumps of flour and the butter has melted into the filling.

The most common cause of hard crumble is using the wrong amount of butter. So, be sure to measure carefully! If you don't use enough, your crumble will be too hard. However, to fix it, just add melted butter one spoonful at a time over the mixture until it is a little moister and crumbles with ease.

Yes, peeling the apples needs to be done before making an apple crisp. Unlike the flesh of the apple, baking the skin won't make it tender and delicious. Sure, it'll be less crisp, but more like soggy fish skin than crisp inviting apple skin. A crisp bake with the skin on the apples would be gross.

Check the apple crumble early so the apples don't overcook (or they will turn into applesauce)!

For example, sweeter apples tend to break down easier than their acidic partners. This means that apples like Red Delicious break down quickly, turning your pie into more of an applesauce than a delectable dessert.

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.

Often this happens if the crumb topping is over-mixed or if the butter was much too hot. Over-mixing will leave you with a pasty, batter-like mixture rather than the crumbly topping you are aiming for. Using very hot butter can cause the sugars to melt, leaving you with a greasy and not crumbly mixture.

The most common cause of hard crumble is using the wrong amount of butter. So, be sure to measure carefully! If you don't use enough, your crumble will be too hard. However, to fix it, just add melted butter one spoonful at a time over the mixture until it is a little moister and crumbles with ease.