Apple Crumble

Tender cinnamon apples baked under a thick, buttery crumb topping made with flour, brown sugar, and melted butter. No oats and no pie crust, just twenty minutes of prep before the oven takes over!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apple crumble, apple crumble no oats, apple crumble recipe, apple crumble topping, best apples for apple crumble, easy apple crumble

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Resting Time 15

Total Time 1 25

Servings people

Calories 369kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

9-inch square baking dish, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or similar 2 1/2 to 3 quart baking dish

Ingredients

Filling

6 cups peeled apples, diced into 1-inch pieces (about 6 medium apples, or 2 1/2 pounds)
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Topping

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
For serving: vanilla ice cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or similar 2 ½ to 3 quart baking dish.
Gently toss all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl until the apples are evenly coated. Transfer to the prepared dish and spread into an even layer.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork just until moist crumbs form. Squeeze some of the mixture into larger clumps with your fingers.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Don't press it down.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is deep golden brown, the filling bubbles around the edges, and the apples are tender. Check at 35 to 40 minutes and cover loosely with foil if the top is browning too quickly.
Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Video

Notes

Clump the topping with your fingers after stirring in the butter. Loose crumbs alone bake up sandy. Clumps bake up crisp.
Don't press the topping into the apples. It needs air moving through it to crisp.
Firm apples work best. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Pink Lady all hold their shape. Skip Red Delicious and McIntosh.
Weigh the apples if you can. Six cups is about 2 1/2 pounds, and apple size varies enough that the count alone isn't reliable.
The lemon juice matters. It keeps the apples from browning and balances the sweetness of the topping.
No pre-cooking needed. Raw apples bake to tender in the same time the topping takes to brown.
Salted butter is intentional. If you're using unsalted, increase the topping salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
Pan depth changes timing. A deeper 9-inch square needs the full 55 minutes. A wider skillet may be done closer to 45.
Rest before serving. The filling thickens as it cools, and 15 minutes keeps the juices from running.
Store covered in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven to bring the topping back.

Nutrition