Apple Crumble Baked Dessert (Printable Version)

Tender spiced apples topped with a golden buttery crumble, ideal for warm, cozy moments.

# Ingredient List:

→ Apple Filling

01 - 6 medium apples (Granny Smith or Braeburn), peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
04 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
05 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
06 - 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

→ Crumble Topping

07 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
08 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
09 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar
10 - 1/2 cup rolled oats (optional, for extra crunch)
11 - Pinch of salt

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 8 x 10 inch baking dish.
02 - In a large bowl, toss sliced apples with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and flour until evenly coated. Transfer to the prepared dish.
03 - In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, oats (if using), and salt. Add cold butter and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
04 - Evenly scatter the crumble topping over the apple mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until topping is golden and apples are bubbling.
05 - Allow to cool slightly before serving warm, optionally accompanied by vanilla ice cream or custard.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crumble topping gets impossibly buttery and golden while the apples underneath turn soft enough to melt on your tongue.
  • It tastes like comfort in a baking dish, and somehow always impresses people even though it's genuinely foolproof.
  • The spices give it depth without making it feel fancy or fussy—just honest, delicious, warming.
02 -
  • The apples will release a surprising amount of juice—that's not a mistake, it's what makes the filling tender and delicious. The small amount of flour in the filling thickens it without making it starchy.
  • Cold butter is everything. If your kitchen is warm, cut the butter into cubes and freeze them for ten minutes before you start. Warm butter makes a dense, heavy topping instead of the light, crispy crumbles you're after.
03 -
  • Dice your butter and freeze it for ten minutes before you begin the crumble topping—this small step is the difference between crispy crumbles and a dense, heavy cake-like texture.
  • Don't skip the lemon juice or the salt in the filling and topping. The lemon lifts the apples so they taste bright instead of just sweet, and salt in the crumble makes the butter taste more buttery and the brown sugar more complex.
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