Apple and Blackberry Crumble
This Apple and Blackberry Crumble is the perfect dessert for summer. It’s packed with jammy blackberries and tender chunks of apple topped with a crunchy oat topping. This blackberry apple crumble recipe can easily be made gluten free and is perfect for feeding a crowd.
This Apple and Blackberry Crumble is my favorite dessert to make in late summer and early autumn when blackberry and apple season overlap. Fresh blackberries are one of my absolute favorite summer fruits and my girls love blackberry picking. The bushes by our house are always laden with fresh berries so we head out with big buckets and come home with them overflowing with juicy blackberries. This blackberry apple crumble is something I usually make once everyone has reached their limits of fresh blackberries.
Why You Will Love This Apple And Blackberry Crumble
- This delicious dessert is always a crowd pleaser. Every time that I have made this recipe for friends, everyone (even those who don’t usually like fruit crumble or fruit crisp) devour it!
- It’s the perfect easy dessert that you can prepare a day in advance and simply pop in the oven before serving. There is no fancy pie crust to fuss with, the easy crumble topping takes just minutes to make
- This is a fantastic way to use up any leftover blackberries you might have from blackberry picking
- The combination of a thick layer of warm fruit (especially the juicy berries) and the sweet crunchy buttery topping is truly a match made in heaven. Top with a scoop of ice cream and you have the perfect dessert for summer.
Ingredients You Need To Make This Apple And Blackberry Crumble Recipe
- Apples: I have made this recipe countless times and each time I have used a different kind of apples and it has always turned out well. I have found that bramley apples, pink lady and honey crisp are all slightly sweeter apple varieties that work well in this dish. If you prefer tart apples to contrast the sweet blackberry filling then the best apple choice be granny smith apples which have a slightly bitter taste. Alternatively you could also use a combination of fresh apples to get a nice balance of both tart and sweet. When preparing the apples I recommend removing the peel and cutting the apples into small pieces. If you have an abundance of apples from apple picking, this is also a great way to use up some of the ones that might have blemishes or be misshapen and save the best apples for eating fresh.
- Blackberries: freshly picked wild blackberries always have the best sweet flavor, bu blackberries from the grocery store (or farmers market) or frozen blackberries can also be used.
- Orange: Orange zest adds a nice fresh citrus flavor to the fruit filling.
- Honey: Honey is added to both the filling for a touch of sweetness and crumble topping to help the clumps hold together. I recommend using a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or agave syrup as a substitute rather then light brown sugar, coconut sugar or white sugar. I recommend sticking with the quantity of honey listed for the perfect topping, but you can reduce the amount of honey added to the blackberry apple filling, or remove it altogether if you prefer less sugar.
- Arrowroot Powder: arrowroot powder is used to help give the fruit filling a jammy texture. Corn starch can be used in place of arrowroot powder depending on what you have on hand.
- Walnuts & Pecans: The nuts are blended into a fine consistency for the crumble topping. Feel free to leave them a bit chunkier if you prefer for extra crunch for the crumbly topping. When measuring out the quantities I used whole rather than chopped pecans and walnuts.
- Almond Flour
- Cinnamon: A lot of crumble recipes call for the addition of ground nutmeg in the crumble topping which I find has an overpowering flavor. I prefer to add ground cinnamon which has a nice warmth that compliments the sweet apples.
- Butter: if using unsalted butter be sure to add 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt to the crumble topping. Be sure to use butter that is cold rather than melted butter which will create a much thinner crumble topping.
- Oats: When it comes to oats there is a wide variety that would all work for the oat crumble topping. I prefer old-fashioned oats (also known as rolled oats) because they are larger in size and add to the texture of the crumble topping. There are lots of gluten-free options of oats that can be used to make this easy blackberry crumble recipe gluten free.
You can find a full list of ingredients and quantities in the full recipe card below
How To Make This Apple And Blackberry Crumble
- In a large mixing bowl combine all of the filling ingredients. Transfer the apple and blackberry mixture to a prepared baking dish.
- In a food processor add the walnuts, pecans, almond flour, butter, honey and vanilla extract and pulse until the nuts have broken down to a crumbly texture. Transfer the crumble mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the oats. Once well mixed spread the crumble topping overtop of the blackberry apple mixture in an even layer.
- Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the topping is golden brown in color and the filling is bubbling.
- Serve the warm crumble topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream
Can I Use A Different Type Of Berry
I love how jammy the blackberries become after baking, but I completely understand that when it comes to type of berries, blackberries can be one of the harder ones to find. Blackberries are generally in season August and early September. Outside of these months you may be able to find imported blackberries but they are often very expensive. If you aren’t able to find fresh blackberries (or they are astronomically expensive) then other berries can be used in equal quantities. I recommend replacing the blackberries with raspberries or blueberries which both pair well with apples and make delicious fruit crumbles.
Can I Use Frozen Blackberries?
You can! Frozen blackberries are often a much more affordable option than buying fresh blackberries (especially when it’s not blackberry season!). Before beginning preparation of the recipe I recommend placing the frozen blackberries in sieve and leaving them to sit over a bowl and drain any excess moisture while you prepare the crumble topping. They don’t need to be completely thawed but removing some of the excess water before adding them to the pan will help to prevent the crumble from being too liquidy.
Tips For Making This Apple And Blackberry Crumble
- When cutting the apples, remove the peel and make sure that all of the diced apple pieces are even in size. I recommend cutting them approximately 1/2 inch in size so that they become soft and tender when cooking
- Keep an eye on the crumble while it is baking. If the top becomes too dark in color I recommend placing a piece of aluminum foil overtop
- Depending on how high you fill your baking dish, I recommend placing the baking dish on a baking sheet when placing it in the oven to catch any of the bubbly fruit overflow and prevent you having to clean your oven.
- The cooking time may vary depending on the size of the baking dish that you use and how thick the fruit layer is. After the 45 minutes of baking time the buttery crumb topping should be golden brown on top with a jammy fruit filling, if the fruit mixture doesn’t have a jammy consistency and the pieces of apple are firm I recommend 5-10 minutes of additional bake time.
- If you are using a sweet variety of apple (such as honeycrisp apples) and add a splash of lemon juice to the fruit filling to offset the sweetness.
What To Serve With This Apple And Blackberry Crumble
I love serving warm apple and blackberry crumble with a good scoop of vanilla ice cream that melts into the crumble filling and is absolutely delicious. Any type of ice cream (dairy free or vegan) is also delicious served with this crumble, or one of my personal favorite vegan options is to serve it with a big dollop of coconut whipped cream. To make the coconut whipped cream place one can of coconut cream in a bowl with 1 teaspoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and use an electric hand mixer to beat the coconut cream into a light consistency. If the coconut whip because too runny, place the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to become more firm before continuing to whip further.
Can I Make This Apple And Blackberry Crumble In Advance?
Absolutely! You can place the oat topping on top of the fresh fruit filling and store it uncooked in the fridge for 1-2 days or alternatively bake the fruit dessert up to 3 days in advance and once cooled to room temperature, store it in the fridge. Before serving simply heat it in the oven covered in aluminum foil until the filling is bubbling and hot. I find that baking this homemade crumble a day or two in advance makes no difference to the dish and it tastes just like it has been freshly made hours prior.
What About Leftovers
Any leftover apple and blackberry crumble can be stored in the baking dish topped with aluminum foil or plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 4 days, or transfered to an airtight container. Leftover crumble can also be stored in the freezer for up top 4 months and it best transferred to the oven and baked from frozen for 20 minutes at 350 degrees covered in aluminum foil.
Here are a few more dessert recipes that you might enjoy!
- Lemon Layered Cake with Strawberry Filling and Ombre Icing
- Pumpkin Mug Cake
- Carrot Cake Mug Cake
- Upside Down Banana Bread in a Skillet
- Lemon & Mixed Berry Cupcakes
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients
Fruit Filling
- 3 cups chopped apples
- 4 cups blackberries
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup pecans
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp cold butter cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup oats
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine all of the filling ingredients and stir to ensure that everything is well mixed. Transfer to a baking dish
- In a food processor combine the walnuts, pecans, almond flour, butter, honey and vanilla and pulse until the nuts have broken down into a fine texture and the butter is well mixed in (it should be a thick batter like consistency) Add to a bowl and stir in the oats so everything is well mixed together and then using your fingers spread a thin layer overtop of the fruit ensuring the entire surface of the baking dish is covered.
- Cover in tin foil and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees and then remove the tin foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes until the topping is golden brown in color and the filling is bubbling.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on December 17, 2015. It was updated with new photos and copy on June 6, 2024.
Do you put the coconut water that is in the tin with coconut cream in this one?
Many thanks 🙂