Apple and Walnut ANZAC 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!

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 Core.

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!

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 flour, light brown sugar, desiccated 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

Equipment

So this apple crumble with oats and walnuts is baked in my 28cm copper frypan. To be honest, most good, quality, oven-safe frypans will do the job. I also love to cook a crumble in cast iron. And if you’ve been around for a bit you will know about my obsession for good quality, cast iron cookware. 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 a cast-iron frypan, a ceramic oven-proof baking dish will also do the job.

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.
   
   
2. In a large bowl, pop in the lemon juice. Peel and core the apples. Cut them into a rough 2cm dice. Add to the bowl and toss the apple in lemon juice to coat.
   
   
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, white sugar & cinnamon. Gently mix.
   
   
4. Add to 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 bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients. Mix well.
   
   
3. Melt the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan. Add to the dry ingredients. Mix through to combine.
   
   
4. Crumble the topping over the apple and walnut base.
   
   
5. Pop into the preheated oven for 1 hour. Serve just out of the oven with ice cream and a drizzle of golden syrup.

What sort of apples do I use for a crumble?

Select crunchy, firm, cooking apples. I like to use granny smiths. Their tart flavour just works so well baked up against the sweet crumble topping. However, I have also used gifted apples (unknown variety) from my neighbour’s front yard as well as a smattering of varieties from a local pick-your-own orchard. Although slightly different in flavour, all crumbles were a hit!

What do I serve apple crumble with?

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

Is it an apple crumble or a crisp?

Ok, yes, technically this is an apple and walnut 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”

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

x

Have a sweet tooth? Here’s a few more sweet treats for you…

• Spiced Apple Cider Doughnuts
• Chocolate Chip Banana Brownies
• A Mid-Summer Eton Mess
• Spiced Dulce de Leche Thumbprint Cookies

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