Christmas is still months away, so why not pass the time with this delicious apple crumble?
Yes, we get it. You and your kids probably can’t wait for the Christmas season with its gorgeous number of treats. Who wouldn’t want to start early with mince pies, Christmas puddings and spiced flapjacks?
But, alas, it’s still several months away. Why not tickle your palate with this wonderfully simple and tasty apple crumble? It’s a guaranteed success for the whole family. And it’s a simple five-ingredient recipe, so you can even bake it with your children!
The best thing? It serves roughly six, leaving plenty for additional guests (or second helpings).
What you’ll need
Most importantly, you’ll need six mouth-watering apples. No particular brand or type, although we’ve had the most success with Braeburn apples, since they are delightfully juicy and fresh. It should also work well with Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples. The important thing is that they are suitable for baking – they need to be particularly sour to counter the lovely sweet crumbly topping.
To bring in the sweetness and avoid the crumble tasting like the sour devil himself, you’ll require roughly 120g of caster sugar and 30g of brown sugar. Add to that 200g of plain flour and 120g butter.
Lastly – and to add that special autumn scent to the crumble – you’ll need a cinnamon stick.
Shopping list
-six baking apples (Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith)
-120g caster sugar
-30g brown sugar
-200g plain flour
-120g unsalted butter
-one cinnamon stick
-Vanilla ice cream for serving
-Optional: 25g almonds and 25g honey
What to do
- Before you start with your lovely apples, get that butter out of the fridge to make sure it’s nice and soft by the time you need it for the crumble. Peel, core and dice the apples into small chunks and throw them in the pan. Add the brown sugar as well as the cinnamon stick. Cover the pan and allow the mixture to stew gently for roughly half an hour. Don’t forget to stir every once in a while (please use a wooden spoon). It’s important to check occasionally – the apples are sensitive and can burn rather easily.
- Make sure the mixture is cooked properly by mashing the chunks slightly with the spoon. They should be soft at this point.
- Pour the apple mixture into an oven-proof serving dish and let it cool for a while, remembering to remove the cinnamon stick. Prepare the oven at 160°C.
- In the meantime, mix the flour, butter and caster sugar in a bowl. Use your fingers to stir things up until the mass reaches a consistency reminiscent of light breadcrumbs (a lovely task for your children to do). If you want to add a bit more flavour, you could add a drizzle of honey and some ground almonds and mix them into your crumbs. Now place the crumble topping on the stewed apples making sure to keep the crumbs light and fluffy.
- Place the prepared dish in the oven and bake for roughly 45 minutes or until the crumble is slightly golden brown and crunchy.
(Optional: If you hate to waste food, why not toss the apple peels in a little butter and cinnamon-sugar and dry them in the oven, making some lovely apple crisps?)
How to serve it
So you’ve successfully baked that bad boy? Congratulations! Now don’t mess things up by serving it inappropriately.
The crumble can be served either hot or cold. Fresh and hot out of the oven is the tastiest, although you might want to let it cool down for a few minutes. Serve it with a marvellous scoop of vanilla ice-cream, turning this dessert into the true taste of autumn.
