This Apple and Blackberry Crumble with Oats is the perfect comfort food recipe for colder days when you want something sweet, warm, and filling to enjoy.
The crumble topping makes this dish delicious and easy enough for kids to help make! Serve with cream, vanilla ice cream or custard for an extra treat.
Jump to:
- How to make apple and blackberry crumble?
- 📖 Step by Step Recipe
- Ingredients
- Sugar for crumble filling and topping
- Should apples be stewed before making crumble?
- Apple and Blackberry dessert filling
- How to make an oaty crumble topping?
- How to cook fruit crumble?
- Serving suggestions
- Make ahead dessert
- Can fruit crumble be frozen?
- Reheating
- Apple Recipes
- 💬 Reviews
How to make apple and blackberry crumble?
You can also continue reading below for a more detailed explanation of how to make this fruit crumble after the recipe card.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients
Filling
- 750 g Bramley Apples - Cooking Apples - Eating apples can be used instead
- 60 grams Butter
- 3 tablespoon Plain Flour
- 50 g Demerara Sugar - White or Light Brown Sugar can be used instead
- 120 ml Water
- 150 g Blackberries
Crumble
- 180 g Plain Flour
- 135 g Butter
- 95 g Rolled Oats
- 45 g Ground Almond
- 75 g Demerara Sugar - White or Light Brown Sugar can be used instead
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
To serve - Your choice of the following
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Custard
- Cream
Instructions
- Peel and chop 750 g Bramley Apples - Cooking Apples into even slices or chunks. Preheat the oven to 170 °C fan / 190°C / 375°F / gas mark 5.
- Melt 60 grams Butter in a large pan over low heat, add 3 tablespoon Plain Flour and stir in to make a roux.
- Add 50 g Demerara Sugar, and stir through. Then add 120 ml Water to make a smoother paste. Turn off the heat.
- Add the sliced apples into this sweet paste and stir through to coat.
- Place coated apples in the base of a baking dish approx 9 x 9 inches (23 x 23 cm). Pop the 150 g Blackberries on top.
- Rub 180 g Plain Flour and 135 g Butter together until they form a breadcrumb texture
- Add 95 g Rolled Oats, 45 g Ground Almond, 75 g Demerara Sugar and 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract and rub them in with the flour and butter.
- Sprinkle the oat crumble mix on top. Press down slightly with your hands.
- Oven bake at 170 °C fan / 190°C /375°F for 40 - 50 minutes until the crumble topping is golden.
- Remove from the oven. For best results, allow to cool for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Serve with Custard, Vanilla Ice Cream or Cream.
Video
Nutrition
Our Apple and blackberry crumble recipe was originally published on 13/10/2021. It was modified on 18/06/2024 with a simpler layout to make getting to the recipe card easier and improved advice.
Ingredients
Some advice for the ingredients, including substitutions.
Apples
We have used Bramley apples, a large cooking apple in the UK. You can use any variety of apples; they don’t have to be cooking apples.
Other British apples that work well are Granny Smith, Braeburn or Pink Ladies
Or, if you are one of our American followers, use Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples.
Peel and chop the apples into even-sized pieces. We like to cut our apples quite fine to allow them to stew down into soft stewed apples.
If you prefer your apples to still have a bit of bite to them, cut them into bigger chunks.
Apples brown when air gets to them; this is natural and will not affect the final dessert.
If it bothers you, you can soak them in water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent this.
Sugar for crumble filling and topping
For this apple and blackberry crumble recipe we have used natural unrefined demerara sugar we like the slight caramel flavour it adds to the filling and the crunch it adds to the crumble topping.
You can substitute with white granulated sugar, caster sugar or use light brown sugar if preferred.
The amount of sugar used can be adjusted to suit how sweet you like the filling or crumble topping. The amount of sugar used will differ depending on the sweetness of the apples you use.
Should apples be stewed before making crumble?
The apples will have plenty of time to stew in the oven, so they do not need to be stewed first.
Apple and Blackberry dessert filling
I recommend making a quick sweet roux out of butter, flour, sugar and water which mixes into a smooth paste. Turn the heat off.
Pop the chopped apples into the pan with the sweet roux and stir until evenly coated.
This helps to make a thicker glossier filling for the apple and blackberry crumble.
Pour the apple mixture into an ovenproof dish. We have used a 9 x 9 inch (24 x 24 cm) square dish. If using a rectangular baking dish, use about 28cm.
You can use any size between 23 - 30 cm really, it will just change the thickness of the apple filling and crumble topping.
Next, add the blackberries - fresh is best, however, if it is not the right season you can use frozen berries!
How to make an oaty crumble topping?
Making a crumble topping is easy: simply rub together butter and flour until the texture resembles breadcrumbs.
It helps to chop the butter into small pieces before rubbing it into the flour.
Next, add some extra crunch to the crumble mix with oats, sweetness from demerara sugar, flavour with ground almonds and vanilla extract.
Sprinkle the topping over the top to cover the blackberries and apples. Pat down with your hands.
How to cook fruit crumble?
Apple and blackberry crumble is baked in an oven allowing the apple and blackberry filling to stew and the oaty crumble topping to golden.
Oven Temperature and time?
Cook apple and blackberry crumble in the middle of a preheated oven 170 °C fan / 190°C / 375°F / gas mark 5. Ours took 45 mins in the oven. Depending on your oven, it will take between 40-55 minutes.
Once browned on top and you will notice the juices starting to bubble around the edges, it is cooked and ready to remove from the oven.
If you can wait, allow cooling slightly, this will make it easier to cut the apple and blackberry crumble with oats into nice neat slices of crumble.
Of course, you don't have to wait, who cares what it looks like its the taste that counts! Besides, it's called a crumble for a reason!
Serving suggestions
There is a big divide in our house with what is best to serve with apple and blackberry crumble!
Custard, vanilla ice cream or cream what is your favourite? Why not add some extra richness with a drizzle of our salted caramel sauce?
It is lovely with them all, or you can serve the apple and blackberry crumble as it is! It can also be served cold! There is enough here for 9 servings.
Make ahead dessert
This comfort food dessert is perfect for making ahead. You have two options.
1. Make it up to step 8 - before oven baking. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
2. Make it all the way to step 10 - Oven bake. Then, allow it to cool and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in oven at 170 °C fan / 190°C / 375°F / gas mark 5 for about 25 minutes. Remove foil for the final 5 minutes.
Or reheat a portion size at a time in the microwave?
Can fruit crumble be frozen?
Alternatively, place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 4 months. Defrost before reheating.
Reheating
Any leftovers can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, use a microwave and heat single portions at a time until steaming hot (about 2 minutes).
Or reheat in the oven, cover with foil and reheat at 170 °C fan / 190°C / 375°F / gas mark 5 for about 25 minutes. Remove foil for the final 5 minutes.
We hope you enjoy this apple and blackberry crumble with oats as much as we do. Please leave us a comment below to let us know!
Apple Recipes
If you love apples, try our apple strudel recipe for another great dessert! Or make your own Apple Sauce.
Sandra says
Absolutely delicious - my partner and his son loved it, too. The best crumble recipe!
Also, the instructions were very clear and picture were helpful - it was easy to follow and the crumble came out delicious on the first attempt. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Will repeat!
Kay says
Thank you for trying our recipe, Sandra! We're glad you and your partner and son enjoyed it. The crumble is one of our favourites too. 🙂
We're happy to hear that the instructions were clear and that the crumble came out delicious on the first attempt.
Kate says
This apple and blackberry crumble was so delicious, we all had second helpings!
Kay says
Thank you, Kate
This dessert is always perfect for seconds, its so moreish lol 🙂
Liz says
Such a simple and yummy dessert!
Kay says
Thank you, Liz 🙂
Glad you like our Apple and blackberry crumble; it makes a great winter warmer dessert 😉