This apple crumble recipe is the easiest dessert, with only a few simple ingredients. Juicy apples are covered in a sweet, streusel-like topping and then baked in single serving ramekins for a perfectly portioned treat. This apple crumble is perfect for serving guests, a romantic dinner for two, or any special occasion.
Like most of us, I love a good Thanksgiving feast. Imagine my frustration over having to skip not one but two Thanksgivings in a row due to bad head colds. I almost never get sick, yet somehow I managed to catch something twice just in time for the very best holiday meal. It was beyond annoying.
We had to cancel our plans at the last moment, but I felt like we still deserved some sort of Thanksgiving meal, so I managed to whip up a small holiday dinner for two. I didn’t have a lot of energy to prepare an elaborate dessert, but what I came up with was simple and lovely, especially for just the two of us.
I baked an apple crumble, but instead of making one large dessert, I prepared two individual portions. It was just the right amount.
Apple Crumble Ingredients
- Baking apples (such as Granny Smith)
- White granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- All-purpose flour (or gluten-free blend)
- Light brown sugar
- Old-fashioned rolled oats
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground allspice
- Unsalted butter
How to Make Apple Crumble
I’ve listed tart baking apples such as Granny Smith in the ingredients list because it will definitely give you the best results. They don’t turn to mush in the oven, and the tart flavor balances the sweetness of the sugar. However, you can really get away with using any apple you prefer since this isn’t a big dessert like apple pie. I believe I used honeycrisp apples on Thanksgiving, and neither of us were complaining.
I’ve baked these in 7-ounce ramekins (mine are on the pricy side, but you can find much cheaper options if you don’t already own some). The ramekins are extremely hot right out of the oven. If you’re serving children, I recommend transferring the dessert to a different bowl before serving.
Alternately, you can bake this in one large dish. A pie dish would work, but you can eye out your various pans and casserole dishes to see what looks right. Keep in mind that the apples only come up about 1 1/2 inches in the ramekins, so you want a shallow dish. If you use a single baking dish, you may need to leave the apple crumble in the oven for an additional 5 minutes or so.
Additional Tips
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using almond meal (or a gluten-free flour blend) in place of the all-purpose flour, and gluten-free rolled oats.
- I highly recommend serving this dessert with either vanilla ice cream or a splash of heavy cream. We only had cream on Thanksgiving, and it was almost as good as the ice cream. This is a good option if you prefer less sweet desserts.
- If you like experimenting, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of chopped pecans or almonds to the topping! You can also add some extra spices, like 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg or a pinch of ground cloves.
- Making a romantic dinner for two? You can easily cut this recipe in half.
What’s the Difference Between a Crumble and a Crisp?
Crumbles and crisps are almost identical. Both desserts include fresh fruit that is baked with a streusel-like topping. Originally, the difference between these two desserts was in the topping: crisps had oats in the streusel topping and crumbles did not. However, these days the names are used interchangeably.
Can You Make Apple Crumble in Advance?
You can! This apple crumble can be assembled, covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours in advance before baking.
How to Measure Flour
For baked goods (as well as desserts like custard and ice cream), I always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight instead of volume. Weight (ounces, grams, etc) will always give an accurate measurement of dry goods; volume (cups) can create varied results.
A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 3 1/2 to 5 ounces. That could make a big difference in your recipe! If you still want to use cups, there’s a proper technique to make sure you get the best results possible.
My post How to Measure Flour explains all of this in more detail.
More Apple Recipes
Love this apple crumble? You may also like my Apple Chutney, Apple Noodle Kugel, and Apple Pie with Gruyere Crust! I also love this Apple Butter from Baking a Moment.
Apple Crumble
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 tart baking apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For the topping
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (use a gluten-free flour blend or almond meal for gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats (use gluten-free rolled oats for gluten-free)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- Optional: Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the filling: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon and salt, stirring until evenly combined.
- Prepare the topping: In a separate small bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Add the melted butter, stirring until evenly combined.
- Divide the apple mixture between four 7-ounce ramekins. Divide the topping ingredients between the ramekins, spreading evenly over the tops and gently pressing into the filling if there’s any overflow (this will only happen if the apples are very large).
- Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until the tops are firm and the filling is tender.
- Serve hot, preferably with ice cream or a splash of heavy cream. (Note: the ramekins will be very hot, so be careful. If serving a child, I recommend scooping the apple crumble into a different serving bowl to be safe).
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Video
Notes
Serving Suggestions
Want to really wow your guests? Try serving this apple crumble with my Homemade No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream!Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
I am going to try this recipe with the melted butter.. as need to prepare this in advance and pop it into the oven when we sit down to have main course. So with the melted butter, it will create a crispier toppings versus using cold cut butter (and rubbing the dry topping)? is this correct? as I have been reading various recipes using melted or cold butter .. and the result is slightly different, correct? can you clarify again. Thank you so much.
Hi Ming, I always use cold butter for crumbled toppings, but I don’t think melted butter will make a huge different. The topping might be sightly less crumbly since you won’t have the little bits of butter mingling throughout the topping, but it will still taste great either way :)
But in your recipe in called for melted butter and not cold cut butter. Anyhow will do with cold butter, I’m sure both will turn out well. Making for 16 pple
LOL! I apologize; I really shouldn’t respond to comments before my second cup of coffee. You’re good to go :)
This was incredible! What a quick, tasty dessert.