Apple Crumble
Servings: 6 people
CRUMBLE
- 1 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (120 grams) cold diced butter or vegan butter (about 5 ounces)
- ½ cup (100 grams) sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoons cinnamon
FILLING
- 2 pounds (900 grams) apples cored and cut into thin wedges or slices.
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice + zest from half lemon, optional
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Lightly butter the bottom of your baking dish.Core and cut 2 pounds apples into thin slices. You can keep the peel on.Add sliced apples to a large mixing bowl. Toss them with 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoons lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.Arrange them tightly into your baking dish.
- Mix 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cold diced butter, ½ cup sugar, ½ teaspoons cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt in a separate bowl.Crumble the ingredients with your hands, pinching the butter and flour until they are incorporated.Alternatively, use a pastry cutter or give them a quick blend in a food processor.
- Crumble the mixture on top of the apples, clean the rim of the dish, and bake for 35 – 40 minutes.The apples should be tender, and the top golden brown.
- Let the crumble cool down for 10-15 minutes before serving it. As it cools, the top crisps up.It’s delicious with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, but it’s also excellent as is.
TIPS
Adjust the sugar: If you use sweet apples (fuji, golden delicious), 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar for the filling is more than enough. If you use sour apples (green, granny smith), you might want to add an extra tablespoon, but that’s entirely up to you.
Let the crumble brown: Let the crumble color, as color equals flavor. The top should be dark amber or golden brown.
Add-ons: You can enrich the crumble with your favorite add-ons, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, and oats.
Lemon juice: Adding a tablespoon or two of lemon juice to the apples prevents them from browning. This is helpful if you are making the recipe ahead of time or freezing it.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Apples: You can use any apple variety, from fuji and golden delicious to pink ladies and granny smith. Substitute rhubarb, pears, or mixed berries for apples.
All-purpose flour: You can substitute 1-to-1 gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour.
Sugar: You can use brown or white sugar.
Butter: You can substitute vegan butter for regular butter if you are vegan.
Cinnamon: You can also add other spices, such as a pinch of nutmeg, clove, vanilla extract, allspice, and ginger. We like to add a grating of lemon zest to add freshness, but that’s optional.
STORAGE
Make ahead: Apple crumble is an excellent recipe to make a few hours ahead and have it ready for your dinner. You can bake it as your guests are almost done with their mains.
Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Make the crumble in a freezer-friendly dish. Wrap it in plastic or a freezer bag and freeze it before baking. It lasts 3 months. Cook from frozen for about 40 to 45 minutes.
Reheat: Warm leftovers in a hot oven at 375°F or 190°C for 10 to 15 minutes.
Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 serving of apple crisp out of 6, using non-dairy butter.
