Whether we call it a crumble or a crisp, a layer of juicy apples and berries is topped with a buttery streusel in this fabulous recipe that can be frozen or made ahead. The ultimate crowd-pleasing fruit dessert.
A dessert for in-between seasons
Apple crumble (or crisp as it's also known) is the first recipe I ever made, guided by my grandmother. I wrote it down in my binder and make it to this day. This apple blackberry crumble is a twist on the original.
It was more intuitive than exact, and I've always made fruit crumbles that way. I feel the crumble and know if it needs more butter or sugar.
And the same with the fruit; sometimes I add an extra layer of sugar and lemon, and sometimes I don't.
But don't worry, I'm giving you a step-by-step recipe for the perfect apple berry crumble. And some variations. Because it's a great idea to adjust recipes and make them our own.
Why make this fruit crumble?
It's a wonderful dessert with a syrupy fruit layer and a crunchy topping.
- Oats: our crumble has oats and almonds for extra flavor and texture.
- Ratio: you can make the topping more crunchy or more crumbly. Add more sugar it will caramelize more, have a more golden color, and have extra crunchiness. As opposed to using more flour and having a crumblier, paler-looking topping.
Step-by-step VIDEO
The apples
- Granny smith: these are my favorites by far because they are acid enough to balance out the butter and sugar used in the recipe. But of course, you can use your favorite baking apples. I know many seasonal ones are delicious.
- Cutting them: you can slice them thicker or thinner. Take into account that very thin slices, such as the ones I use in this recipe where I used a mandoline, will bake softer than thicker ones which will remain crunchier. It comes down to personal taste; some people like very soft apples in their desserts, while others, like my father, will only eat this dessert if the apples are still firm.
Steps to make a fruit crumble
Fruit: apples should be fresh, but berries can also be frozen. Use them directly, without thawing.
Cutting the fruit: make sure you cut or chop it so it can be eaten only with a spoon. We don't want to cut fruit after it is served to us.
Fruit layer
Add the sliced apples to the buttered baking dish. Scatter the berries. Drizzle lemon juice and sprinkle brown sugar over the fruit.
Topping
Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit, leaving some spots uncovered on the edges. Bake as instructed in the recipe card below.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
The crumble mixture can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for a week or frozen for a month. The dessert itself can be baked several hours before you plan to serve it. Reheat it in a 350°F oven until warm, about 15 minutes.
Variations
- Fruit: use peaches or nectarines instead of apples. They pair wonderfully with berries. Or use just one type of berry.
- Crumble: substitute the almonds for walnuts or pecans.
- Serving it: warm, with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, is everybody's favorite. Innovate the ice cream flavor, maybe ginger or butter pecan ice cream. You can bake it in one large pan as we did today or use individual ramekins like we use for these mini peach cobblers.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Make ahead: the crumble can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for a week or frozen for a month. The dessert can be assembled for several hours and up to 2 days before you plan on serving it. Reheat it in a 350°F/180°C oven for about 15 minutes or until warm.
- Sweetness: you can add 2-3 extra tablespoons of sugar to the fruit layer if you like sweeter desserts. Or use orange juice instead of lemon.
- Last-minute dessert: always have frozen berries and crumble topping in the freezer. That way, you can assemble a fabulous fruit crumble in no time. You don't even need to cut up fruit. Dessert is ready in 40 minutes!
- Family-style desserts: since you'll be serving this crumble from the baking dish, choose one you like placing on the table. Here are our favorite dishes for family-style desserts.
Related recipes you might like:
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Apple Berry Crisp
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Ingredients
For the crumble topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces (plus some extra to butter the dish)
- ½ cup regular oats
- ¾ cup almonds, sliced or chopped
For the fruit layer:
- 1 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples, about 5
- 2 cups mixed berries, fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Have ready a 9-13 inch ovenproof ceramic or glass dish. Butter it and reserve.
Prepare the apples:
- Peel and core 1 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples.
- You can dice the apples (as seen in the photos in the post above) or cut them in quarters and slice them.
Make the crumble:
- In a large bowl, stir to combine ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup granulated sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Add ½ cup unsalted butter pieces and work it with your hands or pastry cutter until you have pieces the size of peas. Some of the mixture will be sand-like with very small butter pieces.
- Stir in ½ cup regular oats and ¾ cup almonds until you have a lumpy mixture, trying not to completely break the almonds. At this point, you can cover it and refrigerate for a few days or freeze it. You can also use a food processor to mix the flour, sugar, salt, and butter, transfer it to a bowl, and stir in the oats and almonds.
Assembling:
- Put a layer of apples in the buttered dish.
- Top with the 2 cups mixed berries, fresh or frozen without thawing.
- Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and drizzle with 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Cover the fruit with the crumble. It will be uneven, rustic looking and maybe parts in the sides will not be completely covered. That is fine.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is golden and fruit is bubbling.
- Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
Martina says
Love this receipe! It has never failed me, and Im not a very good cook hahaha!
Diane says
Thank you for sharing, I’ve made it several times, and I will again and again. This weekend is our Soup Sunday and it will be the best on the table once again.
Sonly says
I would like your opinion on topping with Frangipane instead because most of my guests eat gluten free pastries. The Frangipane is made put of almond flour so I'm wondering how the combination would taste.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Sonly! There's a gluten-free cherry crumble topping in the blog.
Frangipane alone might work but my opinion is not to use a lot of it as it's quite dense and heavy. You can also substitute the flour in this crumble recipe for almond flour. That should work too.
Jeri Wilcox says
Our son-in-law, who is also a talented baker, brought this over, still warm, to share after a meal we could finally share as a family, vaccinations done for Grandma and Grandpa! It was absolutely delicious, with a definite old-style taste and texture. I added whipped cream, but no to excess, as a little bit was all it needed to balance the sweet-sour flavor of the apple, blackberry and blueberry fruit mixture. I highly recommend, as this will be a crowd-pleaser. I also like the option of freezing the crumble topping. It would make for a great cobbler, I think.
Paula Montenegro says
Happy to hear you all enjoyed it as a family Jeri! And thanks for leaving such a thoughtful comment. Have a great week!
Phil C says
Although you mention the option of making individual crumbles (using glass ramekin dishes), you do not mention whether this would effect the oven temperature (180'C) and / or the cooking time (40 minutes)?
Given that ramekin dishes are considerably smaller, is it reasonable to reduce the cooking time to 20-25 minutes? Should the oven temperature also be reduced?
Thank you.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Phil, the temperature remains the same but yes, the baking time will be less. Between 20-30 minutes depending on the size and the depth of the ramekin. Start checking at 20 minutes. Hope this helps.
Stevenson Inge says
with all that butter my crumble turned into a greasy dough,how can I turn that into crumble?
Paula Montenegro says
If you don't like those proportions, add more flour/oats/sugar.
Meira says
The apple berry crumble was fantastic!!!
Paula Montenegro says
So happy you liked it!
Earl Williams says
Excellent narrative and recipe that I MUST make this weekend. Thanks for sending it all the way to New Mexico, USA. (Not all Americans are stupid and crazy - but too many are)
Thank you very much
Paula Montenegro says
Glad you like it Earl!