Skillet Apple and Walnut Crumble

Is there anything more comforting than a crumble? Or wait, an apple and walnut ANZAC crumble? This one is literally Autumnal heaven.

Perfect for a long, lazy Sunday lunch, a mid-week dinner, and just about every occasion in between. Fruit crumbles give so much bang for your buck. They’re a classic. Technically, they are super easy, and a crumble can be adapted to pretty much any time of the year with seasonal fruit. This ANZAC-spiced apple walnut crumble is comfort food central. Baked apple rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with an ANZAC biscuit-inspired topping. Pass the ice cream, please!

If you’re new here, you might not know I also run a small online store where I keep many of the tools I cook with every day, along with a few timeless homewares for good, slow living…

The Inspiration

ANZAC Biscuits are one of Australia’s best inventions. While their exact origins aren’t known, it’s rumoured they became popular during WW1 because they were easily sent overseas to troops. With their readily available ingredients and lack of eggs, they kept well and stayed fresh during the long boat trips. And so somewhere along the line, they were named ANZACs, after the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps. 

Living in a small country town, ANZAC Day is quite a big event. All the kids march up the main street together with our local veterans. Homemade ANZAC biscuits are passed around by the onlookers lining the street. Everyone then heads up to the park for the memorial service, and the day normally ends at the pub with a little two-up. 

By combining all those ANZAC flavours, golden syrup, brown sugar, and rolled oats with a good, old-fashioned apple crumble, we’ve basically got a match made in heaven. Cosy, comfort food heaven!

Why Make Apple Crumble in a Skillet

A cast iron skillet just makes a better crumble. Simple as that. It holds the heat perfectly, so the apples cook evenly and turn soft and jammy without any underdone bits. At the same time, cast iron creates a steady heat that helps the base gently caramelise, giving you a deeper, richer flavour. 

Now let’s talk bout the topping. In a skillet, it crisps up properly -not just on top, but all the way through. And that comes down to the vessel itself. No soggy patches, just golden, buttery crunch in every bite.

And the best part? Straight from oven to table. Fewer dishes, more time for eating.

Why This Recipe Works

This one’s all about balance. Soft fruit, crisp topping, and just enough sweetness to bring it all together without giving you a sugar high. 

The apples soften into that jammy filling as they bake, while still holding their shape. No baked applesauce situations here. The mix of oats and walnuts in the crumble gives you proper texture- crunchy, golden, and buttery in all the right places.

Baking it in a skillet gives steady, even heat, which helps the topping crisp up and the edges caramelise. It’s also totally simple, reliable, and the kind of dessert that works every single time without much thought or energy!

What you’ll need to get started

• Fruit – Lemons, Cooking apples. I generally use 8 Granny Smith apples for this crumble.
  
• Dry goods – White sugar, plain, all purpose flour, brown sugar, shredded coconut, rolled oats
  
• While there are actually a couple of types of Ground cinnamon, I always like to use a good-quality cinnamon (normally Ceylon). However, you could substitute cassia if that’s what you have in the pantry.
  
• Always unsalted butter. I also don’t compromise on butter. I’m a big Lurpak fan, and you will generally always find a few bars in my fridge. As the saying goes, butter is always better.
  
• Walnuts. Shelled and roughly chopped. If walnuts are unavailable, try substituting them with hazelnuts or pecans (or both!). All work an absolute treat!
  
• Golden syrup

Best Apples For A Cast Iron Apple Crumble

Not all apples are equal when it comes to baking so it’s well worth doing a little research in your side of the world to get the best variety. If you get it wrong, once they hit the oven. Some hold their shape, some collapse into sauce… and for a good crumble, you actually want a bit of both, with a good bit of caramelization thrown in.

My go-to? I normally lean on Granny Smiths at home as they are the best suited, however I sometime throw in the occassional randoms from our two apple trees (unknown varieties) in our backyard apple orchard. When I lived in the UK it was all about Bramley apples. They are phenomenal tart cooking apples and so rarely found in Australia. I still dream about Bramley apple sauce! 

A quick note from many batches in my kitchen, cut them evenly. It sounds obvious, but it’s the difference between perfectly cooked apples and a few stubborn crunchy bits hiding in there.

Equipment

This is very much a one-pan, no-fuss kind of dessert… which is exactly why I love to bake it this time of year. I bake mine in a deep 26cm enamel cast-iron skillet or a 26cm shallow casserole (braiser), and honestly, both work beautifully. The skillet gives you slightly more crisp around the edges, while my braiser has a smidge more depth if you like a thicker layer of fruit. It’s also great if you’re taking it out as you just pop on the lid and off you go! And if you’ve been around for a bit you will know about my obsession for cast-iron cooking. There is something about the way the edges of a crumble bake when cooked in a cast-iron pan. Those caramelized edges are the best bits! 

If you don’t have cast iron, any oven-safe dish will do. But if you do, this is exactly the kind of recipe it was made for. You’ll also need some kitchen essentials – a vegetable peeler, chopping board, cook’s knife, wooden spoon, and a mixing bowl.

The details

Apple Base

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F
   
2. In a large bowl, prep the apples and toss in lemon to stop them browning.
   
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, white sugar & cinnamon. Gently mix.
   
4. Add the apples and toss them to thoroughly coat them. Pop the apples into a cast-iron frypan.
   
5. Dot the apple with the butter bits randomly around the pan

Crumble Topping

1. Roughly chop the walnuts and spread them over the top of the apple base.
   
2. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Mix well.
   
3. Melt the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan on low heat. Add to the dry ingredients. Mix through to combine.
   
4. Crumble the oat topping over the apple mixture.
   
5. Pop into the preheated oven for 1 hour. Serve just out of the oven with generous scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of golden syrup.

Let’s Serve It Up?

Serve this one warm, just out of the oven, with a big scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of golden syrup. Homemade custard is also a REALLY good idea, as is a dollop of double cream.

Want totake it up a notch? Add a good drizzle of this homemade whisky caramel sauce.

Is It A Crumble Or A Crisp?

Ok, yes, technically this is a skillet apple crisp recipe – A crisp is a 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. So for the sake of keeping things Aussie, I’ve gone with “crumble.”

Storage

Keep an leftovers in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge for the next day. It’s also a great breakfast with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a smattering of chia seeds on top! To reheat, pop it back in the oven so the topping crisps up again. The microwave works, but you’ll lose that crunch (still delicious though).

Enjoy! I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.

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