The Best Apple Crumble
Servings 6 people
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter (for greasing)
- Vanilla ice cream (for serving)
Apple Filling:
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2¼ pounds baking apples (mix of sweet and tart apples, like Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)
- 3 tablespoons Demerara sugar (raw sugar)
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Crumble Topping:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)(Cut into small cubes)
- 1 cup all purpose flour (120 grams)
- ¼ cup Demerara sugar (raw sugar)
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add lemon zest and lemon juice. For the apples, peel, core, and cut into ¼-inch slices. Toss with lemon. Add both sugars, cinnamon and salt. Do not add cornstarch yet. Toss well and set aside to macerate for about 1 hour. It will oxidize a little, but no worries.
- In the meantime, prepare the topping. In a small saucepan, add butter. Cook over medium heat until melted. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and cool for 5 minutes.
- Using a fork, stir in flour, both sugars, baking powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Mix until everything is moistened and crumbly looking. Cover with a plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for 5 minutes. Scarp the side of the bowl to make sure no crumbles are stuck to the bowl. Return to the fridge for at least 5 minutes or until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Grease a 10-inch round baking dish with unsalted butter.
- Carefully transfer the apple juice from the macerated apples into a small saucepan (just the juice). Cook over medium heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. The liquid is thickened, darker in color and it looks a bit like caramel. Set aside to cool until room temperature, at least 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, toss the apples with cornstarch. Add the reduced apple liquid and toss again. Transfer apples and juice into the prepared baking dish. Spread into an even layer. Top with the crumble topping. If needed, break apart some of the larger pieces.
- Place the baking dish on a large baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the topping is firm and golden brown and the juice is bubbling around the edges, 40 - 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for at least 15 minutes. Scoop and serve with ice cream.
Notes
- For the apples, I used 3 granny smith and 2 honeycrisp. It’s good to pick a mix of sweet and tart apples.
- If you don't like cinnamon (my mom couldn't stand it), omit the cinnamon all together. The recipe will still work.
- Crumble topping should be kept as cold as possible until ready to bake. It can be made up to a day ahead. Keep in an airtight container.
- For storage, keep leftover in the baking pan for up to 2 days. Cover with aluminum foil and keep in the fridge. Reheat in a 300˚F (150˚C) preheated oven for about 20 minutes (bake uncovered).