Old Fashioned Apple Crumble (no oats)
This old-fashioned apple crumble, is such an easy dessert that you can have it on the table in under 1 hour. It's rustic and has self-saucing cinnamon apples and a crumb topping that's crisp, clumpy, and you can make ahead.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter to grease the dish
Crumble topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and barely lukewarm, not hot (see Notes below)
Apple filling:
- 6 cups sliced or diced Granny Smith apples the green ones
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice from about ½ a lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice for a more complex flavor
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Use 1 tablespoon unsalted butter to grease an 8x11 or 9-inch square baking dish for a taller dessert, or a 9x13-inch baking dish for a shorter one. Reserve. The final dessert will be amazing with either.
Make the crumble topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ⅓ cup sugar, and ⅓ cup light brown sugar.
- Drizzle ½ cup unsalted butter, melted, over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Chill while preparing the fruit layer. You can prepare it ahead, see Notes below.
Prepare the apple filling:
- In a large bowl, combine 6 cups sliced or diced Granny Smith apples, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Toss the ingredients together until the apples are evenly coated.
- Pour the apple mixture into the baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Assemble the dessert:
- Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apple filling in the baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling. It might take a little more depending on the size of the fruit pieces.
- Let the apple crumble cool slightly before serving.
- Serve warm, on its own or with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or custard.
Notes
Key takeaways: Success with apple crumble is about balancing tartness with sweetness. Choose your apple variety based on desired tartness and adjust sugar accordingly. Uniform cutting ensures even cooking, while warm (not hot) melted butter creates the perfect topping. Ratios matter, so use the suggested dish sizes.
The perfect crumble texture: After mixing in the melted butter, the mixture should hold together when squeezed but still break apart into irregular chunks. If it's too wet, add a tablespoon more flour; if too dry, drizzle in a bit more melted butter. This is also the fix if your topping comes out soggy instead of crisp; it usually means there was too much butter relative to flour, or the butter was too hot when mixed in.
Make-ahead crumble: Keep it refrigerated for a week in an airtight container, or frozen for a month. Thaw in the fridge the day before; it should be cold when used. Break up the clumps with your hands before sprinkling them over the apples.
Leftovers keep well covered in the refrigerator for up to three days and can be gently rewarmed in a low oven to restore some of the topping's crunch.
