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There is something deceptively simple about an apple crumble. It’s almost like a deconstructed apple pie: sliced apples mixed together with a coarse crumble made from cinnamon, sugar, and perhaps a few extra additions. From there, bake and you have a fantastic dessert! Finding the right combination of ingredients, however, is the real trick. How can you make the crumble crisp without it being too dry, while at the same time not making the crumble too sweet or too rich to render it unpalatable?

For our recipe, we wanted to try and make a crumble that really had a little crunch to it. Some recipes call for just a combination of flour, sugar, and salt, but we instead added some oats to the mix which lowered the sweetness overall. To help bind it all together, we threw some cornstarch in with the apples, also adding some lemon juice to increase the sourness and add a little acidity. Keep reading below for our favorite apple crumble recipe…

Apple Crumble

(makes 2-4 servings)

Ingredients

FILLING

  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 granny smith apples, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 3 medium golden delicious apples, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • a pinch of cinnamon
  • a pinch of nutmeg

TOPPING

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup slices almonds
  • 1 cup oats

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine cornstarch and lemon juice until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the apples, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to individual portioned ramekins (pictured above) or to an 8″ square baking dish. Cover tightly with foil.
  2. For the topping, combine the sugar (reserving 1 tablespoon to the side), salt, and flour in a bowl of a blender or food processor. Drizzle with vanilla extract. Pulse to combine (about 5 1-second pulses). Add the butter, half the almonds, and half the oats. Process or blend until the mixture clumps together in large, crumbly balls (about 30 seconds). Make sure to occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle remaining almonds and oats and combine with two or three quick pulses.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake the topping in the middle rack and the apples on the bottom rack for about 20 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned and firm (about 20 minutes). Remove both from the oven.
  4. Remove the foil from the filling and gently stir. Lift up the crumble from the baking sheet by the parchment paper, and still grasping the paper carefully slide pieces into the filling evenly (or if that doesn’t work, use a spatula or large spoon). Bake the mixture in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes, or until the apple is tender and bubbling around the edges. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Serve as is, or with custard.
  5. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetite