Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Tart apples with juicy blackberries topped with a crumbly, buttery topping make this apple and blackberry crumble the perfect comforting dessert. 

This apple and blackberry crumble is a little bit healthier than the average crumble. It’s made with less sugar than usual and has the addition of oats, nuts and seeds. 

This is more of a rustic dessert, an easy option for a lazy Sunday. That’s how it happens in my house at least! Crumbles have always been my favourite dessert, my Pear and Ginger Crumble is another firm favourite of mine.

Why This Recipe Works

• That juicy filling – tart apples with juicy blackberries, I mean what’s not to love right?
• A perfectly crumbly topping – buttery with a little crunch, all the extras in the topping make this dessert extra special.
• Less sugar – I use a lot less sugar in this recipe, the sweet fruit is more than enough here.

What You’ll Need

• Apples – here in the UK you will need Bramley or cooking apples. If you are in the US Granny Smith apples will work best, 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 or all-purpose flour, you can use whole-wheat flour if you want.
• Oats – I use jumbo oats for this recipe, you can also use regular oats.
• Butter – Salted butter is best for this, but you can use unsalted 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 almonds in this topping, however, you can mix it up if you like. Pecan or hazelnuts will work well too. Pumpkin seeds are best as they add more crunch to your crumble.
• Sugar – you will need soft brown sugar for the topping and castor sugar for the filling.
• Spice – I love a little spice in my crumbles so I add cinnamon, you could add nutmeg or allspice if you would like to change it up a bit.

How To Make Apple And Blackberry Crumble

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

1. Prepare the fruit – peel and core the apples then slice them thickly. Add them to a deep dish with the blackberries. Drizzle a little lemon juice over the fruit then add the castor sugar and toss everything together.
2. Blitz the oats, nuts and seeds in a food processor.
3. Add the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and the blitzed oat mixture to a large bowl and stir well. Add the butter, using your fingertips rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a rough breadcrumb consistency.
4. Spread the topping evenly over the filling then bake in the oven the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.

Tips For Making The Best Apple And Blackberry Crumble

• Don’t overwork the topping – the rougher and lumpier it is the better, there really is nothing better than a bite full of buttery crumble.
• Grease the dish beforehand – this will stop the crumble sticking to the edges.
• Always preheat your oven!
• When choosing a dish for your crumble don’t go too deep – a large shallowish dish works best for crumbles.

How To Serve Apple Blackberry Crumble

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

FAQs

Can I freeze apple and blackberry crumble? Yes, you can freeze this crumble. For best results, I would freeze the uncooked topping separately, then add that to freshly prepared fruit. Top the fruit with the frozen topping and bake in the oven until the topping is golden and the filling is piping hot. You can also freeze the cooked dish, leave it to cool, cover, then transfer to the freezer and use within 3 months. You can cook the crumble from frozen, however, you may need to cover the pie with foil to avoid the topping from burning.

Which apples are best for crumble? Bramley or cooking apples are hands down the best apples for a crumble. But if you can’t get them, look for apples that are crisp, tart and will hold up against the heat that a crumble needs.

More Dessert Inspiration

If you love that apple and blackberry combination then you might want to try my Apple & Blackberry Muffins, they’re always a huge hit in my house. If you love crumble so much you want even more, and I’m so with you, then try my Spiced Pear Crumble or my Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble.

Have you made this Apple and Blackberry Crumble Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!

Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Tart apples with juicy blackberries topped with a crumbly, buttery topping make this apple and blackberry crumble the perfect comforting dessert. 

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 8 - 10

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Michelle Alston

Ingredients

For the filling

• ▢ 3 large Bramley apples (3 cups) peeled, cored and roughly sliced.
• ▢ 2 cups 250g fresh blackberries
• ▢ 1/3 cup 40g castor sugar
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice

For the topping

• ▢ 2 cups 200g plain flour/ all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/3 cup 80g jumbo oats/rolled oats
• ▢ 1/3 cup 30g walnut halves
• ▢ 1/4 cup 50g pumpkin seeds
• ▢ 1 cup 100g light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 +1/4 sticks 150g butter at room temperature, cut into cubes
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/ 356F

  Grease a large shallowish dish with butter.
• Place the apples, blackberries, lemon juice and castor sugar in the pie dish and mix gently.
• Add the oats, nuts and seeds to a food processor and briefly blitz.
• In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix well.

  Add the butter and using your fingers rub the butter and flour mixture together until you have a rough breadcrumb mixture, don't worry if you have lumpy bits this is a rustic style dish.
• Sprinkle the crumble over the apple and blackberries and then place on the middle tray of your oven, bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the topping has browned and the filling is bubbling.
• Leave to cool slightly then serve with some good quality vanilla ice cream.

Notes

• Apples - I used Bramley apples, I always peel the apples for a crumble.
• Blackberries - Fresh or frozen is fine, I use fresh when they are in season.
• Butter - I use salted butter for this crumble, you can use unsalted if you wish. I do recommend adding a small pinch of salt to the flour if you do choose unsalted.
• Dish - I used a fairly shallow, large ovenproof pie dish for this crumble it measures as 26 cm/10 inches. 
• Freezing/Storing - Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge and can be eaten cold or reheated in the oven or microwave. The crumble can be frozen once cooked and c0oled and then reheated in the oven from frozen. For more information on freezing please see the post.
• Nutritional information - is approximate and is calculated using an online nutrition tool. It is based on one serving of 10 and is without ice cream or custard.
• Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible.

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.4g | Protein: 5.5g | Fat: 17.2g | Saturated Fat: 8.3g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 3.4g | Sugar: 18.8g | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

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