Apple Crumble Recipe: 3 Tips for Making an Apple Crumble

An apple crumble is a baked dessert consisting of tender pieces of cooked apple tucked under a buttery, crumbly topping made from flour, sugar, butter, and other ingredients, such as rolled oats, spices, and nuts. The apple crumble is a play on traditional apple pie that requires less time, effort, and baking prowess.

You can serve the apple crumble warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a cup of ice-cold milk or hot coffee.

The best apple crumble comes together faster than a pie crust and allows for far more improvisation and personalization. Raid your pantry for new combinations of spices, nuts, and seeds to take your crumble topping to the next level. Consider these tips:

1. 1. Use cold, cubed butter. Making the crumble with room temperature or melted butter will cause the topping to spread as it bakes, rather than creating a landscape of craggy, crunchy sweet pieces. Using cold butter will help all the crumble ingredients bind together before baking and then saturate them evenly in the oven.
2. 2. Choose the right apple. Apple selection will make or break an apple crumble: if the fruit is too soft, the weight of the topping will bury it. If the apple is too mild, the balance between sweet and tart is lost. Aim for a firm, brightly-flavored apple, like Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Pink Lady.
3. 3. Cut the apples into chunks, not slices. Thin stacks of stewed apple may be a hallmark of an apple pie, but an apple crumble is made to be scooped, not cut. Bite-sized pieces of apple maintain both the structural integrity of the crumble and make serving easy.
   

In the world of apple desserts, apple crisp and apple crumble are nearly identical: Both feature a bottom layer of apples but differ on the specifics of the topping. A crisp topping traditionally contains a greater percentage of rolled oats and nuts, resulting in a crisper, looser top layer.

A crumble is made from a denser, streusel-style topping crumbled over the top of the fruit before baking. However, many crumbles contain oats and nuts, so the distinction often comes down to personal preference.