Apple and Blackberry Crumble

It’s no secret that I’m a huge crumble fan. As dessert recipes go, a good berry and apple crumble is about as comforting as it gets and in my opinion, the perfect pudding. I saw blackberries at the grocer this week for the first time in ages and I couldn’t resist a blackberry dessert! This easy apple and blackberry crumble recipe is super easy to make, full of simple ingredients, and reminds me of those wild berry hedgerows. Serve it with a good dollop of cream, custard, or vanilla ice cream. And feel free to tell everyone that you’ve foraged the berries – I promise not to tell!

Whenever I’m in Ireland, I’m always super jealous of all the hedgerows and brambles, just ripe for picking all that produce that grows alongside the roads. The foxgloves creeping out of every crevice along the stone walls in late Spring, wild elderflowers blooming in Summer, and rambling, ripe juicy blackberries and raspberries in early Autumn. For a slow cook like me, it’s dreamy beyond words. Let’s for a moment just imagine living in our little whitewashed Irish cottage, foraging the seasons to cook in our little cottage kitchen (on our Aga of course!) overlooking the wild Irish coast. Dreamy huh?

What you are going to love about this apple blackberry crumble

It’s super duper easy. From go to woah, this blackberry and apple crumble recipe takes under an hour. Having a bit of a get-together? Double or triple the recipe for a big batch crumble and pop it on the middle of the table with a jug of custard for everyone to help themselves.

It’s family-friendly. Kids (and big kids) love fruit desserts, especially fruit crumbles. Seriously… baked fruit with cookie dough flavored crumb… what’s not to love?

What you need to get started

• Juice of a lemon, apples. I use Granny Smith apples. Their tart flavor is perfect for baking. If you happen to find Bramley apples, these make the most delicious crumble. They’re super hard to find in Australia, but a few select people grow them. Hunt them down, and please email me their details! And we can’t make a classic apple and blackberry crumble without fresh blackberries. If blackberries are out of season, you can totally substitute fresh for frozen blackberries.
  
  
• Pantry staples – all-purpose plain flour, castor sugar. You could also substitute the castor sugar with light brown sugar for a more caramelized crumble mixture.
  
  
• Ground cinnamon
  
  
• Unsalted Butter – make sure you keep it in the fridge until just before use.
  
  
• Vanilla bean if you don’t have a vanilla bean you could always substitute with 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
  
  
• Blanched hazelnuts I’ve also made this with blanched almonds. Both work equally well.

How to make blackberry and apple crumble

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
   
   
2. Peel, core, and quarter each apple. Cut each quarter cut into 4 cubes. Pop the chopped apples into a large bowl with the blackberries and toss with the fresh lemon juice.
   
   
3. Add the sugar and cinnamon and toss to coat the fruit.
   
   
   
4. Pop the apple mixture into a baking dish in an even layer.
   
   
5. In a food processor, combine all the topping ingredients except hazelnuts. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the hazelnuts and pulse a couple of times to break them up a bit. You will be left with a crumb that is a bit like a cookie dough texture.
   
   
6. Cover the fruit filling evenly with the crumble topping. Pop into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the crumble is golden.

Equipment you’ll need

I bake this blackberry apple crumble in a 23cm cast iron skillet or an enamel baking dish. You can easily try baking this in a ceramic baking dish or pie plate as well.

I make a quick crumble crumb in my Magimix food processor in under a minute. If you don’t have a food processor you can easily do this step by hand. To do this combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Chop the cold butter into squares and add to the mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until you have breadcrumb-looking crumbs. Alternatively, you could also use a pastry blender.

Let’s talk apples for a sec…

Can you use non-cooking apples in an apple and berry crumble? Yes! We have a few cooking apple trees in our backyard and I mix them with whatever is in the fruit bowl. Is the flavor different? Of course, it is, but so is every single apple variety so go for it! Whenever I use non-cooking apple varieties, I always throw in a few cooking apples too, like Granny Smiths. Normally I balance the flavor with a 50/50 mix.

Can I substitute blackberries for something else?

You sure can! Depending on the season, try raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries for different flavor combinations.

Here’s how I prepare the apples for this old-fashioned apple and blackberry crumble recipe…

Peel and core them. Then cut each apple into four quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 pieces (I halve, then halve again). If it’s a big apple, I cut the quarters into six smaller chunks. Some crumble recipes call for sliced apples. I tend to use slices in my apple pie, but when it comes to an apple crumble I like the rustic-ness of chunks. It also keeps both fruits around the same size for even cooking.

What do I serve a fruit crumble with?

Serve this buttery crumble warm, just out of the oven, topped with a good scoop of vanilla ice cream, some double cream, and a swig of homemade custard.

Have leftovers?

Have leftovers? Pop any leftover crumble into the fridge in either an airtight container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap once it has come back to room temperature. It will last for 2 days in the fridge.

To reheat, either place the whole crumble back into the oven for 10-15 minutes at 160 degrees. Alternatively, heat in 30 second bursts in the microwave after transferring to a microwave-safe dish.

What’s the difference between a crumble and a crisp?

A fruit crisp is a sweet crumble with oats in the topping, a crumble has more of a streusel-like topping. However, I find the term “crisp” is rarely used in Australia and is mainly an American term. However, because there are no oats in this apple & blackberry crumble recipe, it’s definitely a “crumble”.

A few more fruit-based recipes you might like…

• Spiced Apple Cider Doughnuts
• Baked Apple and Pecan French Toast Pudding
• Balsamic Fig Jam
• Chocolate Chip Banana Brownies
• A Mid-Summer Eton Mess

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