You know the cold weather has arrived when I start making apple crumble for dessert. Sydney has FINALLY got some cold weather and I couldn’t be happier. I know I am alone in my feelings about cold weather – everyone I know is absolutely Team Summer.
I am typing this now wrapped up in a warm blanket, feeling all cozy and warm and looking forward to months of this blissful cool weather. I’m thinking coats/ boots/ scarves … and wintery desserts.
Growing up, crumble was always a favorite and now my family loves it, too. It is so crazy easy to make and it uses every day ingredients so there is no excuse for NOT making it.
I think my American friends refer to it as crisp, as in apple crisp. Basically the dessert consists of a stewed fruit bottom, topped with a crunchy, oaty, crisp topping. I am fairly sure that it is the law to serve crumble with vanilla ice cream. The hot topping and the cold ice cream meld together to create everything that you want in a dessert.
My first crumble of the season was made with the neglected apples in the fruit bowl and the odds and ends of a few bags of berries fro the freezer. You know the apples – the ones that the kids insist on buying, then take to school AND boomerang back time after time. I just cut around the bruises and they were fine.
In the end, Misses 9 and 11 ate their apples, albeit in the form of a warming, delicious dessert 🙂
GATHER:
3 apples, peeled and diced into rough chunks
3 cups of frozen mixed berries – I used blackberries and strawberries
3 teaspoons brown sugar
lemon juice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Topping:
1/3 plain flour, sifted
1/3 rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
60 grams butter, diced, at room temperature
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180C and spray a 20cm round ceramic or glass pie dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Place diced apple, lemon juice and brown sugar in microwave safe bowl and cook on medium heat in 45 seconds increments until fruit is soft but not mushy – this make take a few minutes depending on the strength of your microwave.
Allow to cool for a few minutes then stir in berries and cinnamon, then tip into pie dish. Set aside.
In a large clean bowl stir together the dry crumble ingredients then use your fingers to work int the butter until it is all combined.
Sprinkle over the berry mixture then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crumble is golden.
Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.
the hungry mum 
I’m with you, cold weather means crumble! I make them a lot, especially towards the end of winter when there’s not much interesting fruit available but apples are plentiful. They are just so good – for dessert or breakfast 🙂
ooohh, crumble for breakfast! YES! Why I have not thought of that?!
If you put yoghurt on it rather than custard or ice cream then it’s a totally legitimate breakfast 😊
I think I’d like to skip our summer altogether (It’s finally getting warm here!) and go right into fall just so I could make this now! Of course I guess I could make it anytime, we always have apples…and I usually make mine with apples and a good drizzle of caramel sauce before I add topping, but it looks sooo good with the berries and apples. Next time!
Love your frugality and the great use of lunchbox apples, lol!! That photo where you’re holding up the bowl has me drooling!!
Mollie
Oooh, the amount of apples I find rolling around in the bottom of school bags makes me see red! Misses 9 and 11 both love apples and enjoying choosing their own at the shops and then… they don’t eat them #grrrr This dessert can absolutely be eaten year round! Enjoy the heat x
I’m captain of Team Summer. I love apple crumble and I’m happy to eat it when it’s 30 °C and >95% humidity #justsaying 😃
Your crumble Mum looks fantastic. Enjoy the cold weather, if you want it colder, please feel free to take some of the Canberra cold.
boo to heat, humidity, summer, flies, mozzies, sweat… I am loving life as I sit here with the heat and my electric blanket on! Def send your excess coldness up here!
It’s remarkable in Canberra this morning. It was 8 °C. Still too cold for me.
When I arrive home each day I put on two long sleeve T-shirts then a hoodie and then a polar fleece top. That keeps me mostly warm plus full length ugg boots.
A classic Hungry Mum and good to see that frozen berries work well 😄
I love my frozen berries – until they get recalled over a health scare! ARGHGH!!! But yes, generally they are perfect for this recipe.
Oh yes those health scares that keep rearing their head – perhaps Australian grown and packed is the only way to go Hungry Mum!
Ah, my very favorite kind of sweet!
Same Lulu! Sometimes the simple things really are the best 🙂
Looks really tasty 🙂
Thanks Chef! I could eat crumble every night :0
Every night and every morning 😀