← Nouns Cooking · British & Irish

Ingredients

• 1 kg Bramley or other tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 50 g light brown or caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 2 tbsp Water
• 200 g Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 125 g cold butter, cubed
• 100 g demerara or light brown sugar
• 40 g rolled oats (optional)
• 1 pinch Salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F). Toss the apples with the sugar, cinnamon and water in a baking dish about 20 × 30 cm.
2. Rub the butter into the flour and salt with your fingertips until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and oats, then squeeze a few handfuls together to make bigger clumps.
3. Scatter the crumble loosely over the fruit without pressing it down; a loose topping bakes crisper.
4. Bake for 35–40 min until the top is golden and the fruit juices bubble up at the edges. Rest for 10 min, then serve with hot custard, cream or ice cream.

Tips

• Bramleys collapse into a soft, sharp purée; use dessert apples like Braeburn if you prefer chunks, and cut the sugar a little.
• Add a handful of blackberries for a classic autumn apple and blackberry crumble.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food RecipeTin Eats Jamie Oliver