Apple crumble is the dessert everyone loves ! It’s a dessert that needs no introduction, as it’s just as popular as crème brûlée or molten chocolate cake. The popularity of the apple crumble recipe stems from the fact that it’s a super-simple dessert to make, using ingredients that everyone has at home.

how to make an old-fashioned apple crumble

Perfect Homemade Apple Crumble

Table of Contents

Homemade apple crumble

It’s a dessert that stands the test of time without going out of style. It’s quite common because most people love apple-based desserts, like apple cake etc..

It’s hard not to fall in love with the melting apples and their sandy, crunchy layer under your teeth ! I often make the traditional crumble, but I also prepare it in shot glasses. My guests love it in shot glasses, especially when I serve it with a quenelle of vanilla ice cream.

When you’ve run out of desserts and have a few apples lying around, it’s easy to turn them into this delicious dessert. When you don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen, and you’ve had a simple meal like chakchouka or hmiss, apple crumble will be the perfect dessert.

It’s one of my favorite desserts during the month of Ramadan along with panna cotta fruit salad ,tiramisu and coconut flan. After a long day of fasting, during the iftar meal, I find it difficult to eat a main course. I take a bowl of “harira” or other soup and afterwards in the evening, I enjoy a dessert. Despite the desserts, I manage to lose a few kilos during the month of fasting.

The authentic cinnamon apple crumble recipe

Quick and easy apple crumble

Which apples to choose?

I like golden or pink lady apples, but if you like a touch of tartness, go for granny smiths. In any case, no matter what kind of apples you choose to make this recipe, it will be delicious. Use firm apples to prevent them from turning into applesauce in the oven. The chunks need to be extremely melt-in-your-mouth but still hold their shape.

How to prepare the best apple crumble ?

my little tip

There’s nothing complicated about the recipe, but you need to find the right balance between the apple layer and the layer of sandy crumbs (crumble). You need a little apple and enough crunch in your mouth with every bite to fully savour this dessert.
If you put too many apples and too many crumbs on top to balance it out, you’ll end up with just a thin crispy layer. The layer underneath will soften.

To make the perfect apple crumble, I prepare the shortbread dough and instead of putting it all over the apples, I divide it in two. One part will be crumbled over the apples and the other part will be crumbled on a baking sheet and baked separately.

Instead of putting a large quantity of apples in a single dish, use at least 2 dishes. Sprinkle with half the crumble and place in the oven.

Once the apple crumble is cooked, add a good layer of separately baked sandy crumbs. Success of melt-in-the-mouth and crispiness guaranteed.

simple and easy dessert - caramelized apple crumble

easy apple crumble

How to store it?

This dessert should be eaten as soon as it is ready. The ideal way to eat it is slightly warm, but even cold, it’s very good. To fully enjoy the crispiness of the crumble, you should eat it no more than a few hours after it’s made. You can’t keep it any longer, otherwise the crispy layer will soften.

If you want to prepare this dessert in advance, you can make the crumble topping well ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a few months.
However, the apples should be sliced at the last moment to prevent them from turning brown.

The recipe on video

Preparation steps :

NB : Find the quantity of ingredients in the recipe card at the end of the article, which you can print. Below are the instructions, also available with visual images.

You can prepare the crumb topping in advance and store it in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 180°C ( 350°F )

1. In a mixing bowl or food processor, rub the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon. Rub with your fingertips until you have a crumbly texture with clumps.

how to prepare apple crumble

2. Grease 2 small baking dishes or one large one. If you’re using 6 apples, you’ll need 3 small gratin dishes.

3. Peel apples, remove core and seeds. You can leave the skin of the apples if you don’t mind. Cut them into large pieces and place them directly into the molds.

4. Cover with a generous layer of crumble topping, crumbing it over the top into small lumps.

apple crumble recipe

Tip : You can use a coarse-hole grater and pass your dough through it after chilling it in the refrigerator for an hour.

Apple crumble preparation steps.

5. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the crumbly layer is golden brown.

6. Scatter torn pieces of the dough on a baking sheet and bake it until it’s nicely golden brown. easy and quick apple crumble 7. Once the apple crumble is baked and the crumbly dough is nicely crispy, take it out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack.

8. Sprinkle with the crunchy crumbs. Spread a generous layer of it.

9. Serve warm or cold. Serve with a scoop of ice cream. Easy and crispy apple crumble

I hope you enjoy this simple apple recipe. Apple crumble is one of the simplest desserts that won’t have you spending hours in the kitchen.

Easy apple crumble

Apple recipe ideas :

Apple turnovers

Very tall moist apple cake

Coconut and Apple Cake