Easy Apple and Blackberry Crumble

This Blackberry Apple Crumble is packed with fresh apples and juicy blackberries. Topped with a crispy crumble topping this delicious dessert is the perfect cosy Autumn dish.

Jump to:

• 🛒 What You'll Need
• 🥣 How To Make Apple And Blackberry Crumble
• 👩‍🍳 Top Tips
• 🍽 How To Serve Apple Blackberry Crumble
• 💭 FAQs
• 🔄 Variations 
• 🥧 More Fruit Crumble Recipes
• More Tasty Desserts
• Apple and Blackberry Crumble

What's not to love about fruit crumbles, they're so easy to make and are the perfect dessert any day of the week. I don't do a lot of baking but crumbles are something I can't resist. 

We love the combination of apple and blackberry, and as soon as I see those berries on the hedgerows I'm making either a fruit crumble or my blackberry and apple muffins.

This crumble is so easy to make and can be on the table in about an hour. It's easy to make ahead too, which is great if you have more people over. Just serve it with a good scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for crumble heaven!

🛒 What You'll Need

• Apples - Here in the UK you will need Bramley apples (cooking apples). If you are in the US Granny Smith apples will work best, and Cortlands or Honey Crisp will also work.
• Blackberries - I use fresh blackberries, you can use frozen if you can't find any fresh blackberries.
• Flour - Plain flour (all-purpose flour) you can use whole-wheat flour if you want.
• Butter - Salted butter is best for this, but you can use unsalted butter if you wish. I would add a small pinch of salt to the flour if you choose unsalted.
• Nuts and seeds - I like walnuts and pumpkin seeds in this topping, however, you can mix it up if you want. 
• Sugar - You will need soft brown sugar for the topping and for the filling.
• Spice - I love a little spice in my crumbles so I add ground cinnamon, you could add ground nutmeg or allspice if you would like to change it up a bit.
• Other ingredients - Lemon juice and cornflour (corn starch). The cornflour helps thicken the sauce from the apples and blackberries.

🥣 How To Make Apple And Blackberry Crumble

This is just a quick visual guide, please see the recipe card below for the full instructions and ingredient quantities.

1. Prepare the fruit - peel and core the apples then slice them thickly. Add them to a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice to the apples and toss well. Then add the cornflour to the apples and toss. Add the brown sugar and toss again.

2. Add the blackberries to the apples and gently toss everything together being careful not to damage the blackberries. Transfer the fruit mixture to a greased baking dish.

3. Sift the flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter then using your fingertips rub the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb-style texture. Next stir in the remaining sugar and the chopped pumpkin seeds and walnuts.

4. Spread the crumble mixture in an even layer over the apple mixture then bake in the oven until the filling is bubbling at the edges and the topping is golden brown.

👩‍🍳 Top Tips

• Don't overwork the topping - the rougher and lumpier it is, there really is nothing better than a bite full of buttery crumble.
• Grease the dish beforehand - this will stop the crumble from sticking to the edges.
• When choosing a dish for your crumble don't go too deep - a large shallowish dish works best for crumbles. A pie plate is perfect.
• Cornflour - For the best apple blackberry crumble don't forget to add cornflour (corn starch). This makes the liquid in the crumble thicken and makes the fruit juices clear and shiny.
• Oven - I always place my crumble on a baking sheet when I put it in the oven. This way any juices that bubble over the edge of the dish burn at the bottom of the oven.

🍽 How To Serve Apple Blackberry Crumble

We love this warm with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream or custard is also great with this crumble. And you can also have this cold if you prefer.

💭 FAQs

🔄 Variations 

•  Add in some oats - I sometimes add oats to the topping, old fashioned rolled oats are best for this. I don't recommend using instant oats or quick oats.
• Use Other Seasonal Fruit - You can easily adapt this recipe to make other fruit crumbles. I have used this recipe for a plum crumble and a pear crumble too.
• Add in more nuts - You swap the nuts I've used for other nuts if you want. Pecan, almonds or hazelnuts will work well too. 
• If you're stuck for time you can save some time by using a food processor to make the mixture crumble mixture.

🥧 More Fruit Crumble Recipes

If you love crumble so much you want even more, and I'm so with you, then try my Spiced Pear Crumble or my Pear and Ginger Crumble. One of my favourite crumbles is this Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble, made with juicy pears in a tasty caramel sauce!

More Tasty Desserts

*This recipe was first published on Sep 15, 2016, it has now been updated in September 2023 with new photos, a step by step guide and nutritional information.