Easy Apple Crumble Recipe

Apple crumbles are a labour of love. This crumble took me more than an hour to make, thanks to the mixing of butter with flour and the peeling and slicing of the apples. However, it was love at first bite – and apple crumble has become my favourite home-baked dessert.

Apple crumbles are very easy to make, and require very few ingredients. This recipe was cut out from a Straits Times’ Sunday Life feature some time ago, and I am reproducing it below in full. However, I’d recommend to put slightly less water than suggested, as my crumble filling turned out to be quite watery – I prefer it thicker, like what you’d get in McDonald’s apple pie. I also feel that the cinnamon is mandatory, as it really makes a difference to the flavour of the filling.

Ingredients

For the crumble
220g plain flour
140g sugar
120g butter, chopped into cubes

For the filling
5-6 Granny Smith apples (about 800g)
4 tablespoons sugar
200ml water
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
To make the crumble, mix the flour and sugar together in a large bowl. Taking a few cubes of butter at a time, rub them into the flour mixture with your fingertips.
Keep adding butter and rubbing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
To prepare the filling, peel, core and slice the apples into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon. Stir well, taking care not to break up the fruit.
Spoon the filling into an oval baking dish about 27cm long and 7cm deep. Pour the water over it.
Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top, spreading it right up to the edges of the dish.
Using the flat of your hand, press down firmly all over – the more tightly the crumble mixture is packed together, the crisper it will be.
Finish off by lightly running a fork over the surface to “crumble” the top.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture is bubbling.
Serve warm with vanilla custard, cream or ice cream.