Description
Juicy blackberries and tender apples, all topped with the most amazing big cookie-like clumps of butter streusel. This homemade apple and blackberry crumble is comforting, warm, and perfect with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream – the ultimate cozy dessert!
Ingredients
Scale
For the fruit mixture:
- 1 ½ pounds (680 grams) apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces (approx. 4 medium sized apples)
- 1 pound (454 grams) fresh blackberries
- ¼ cup (50 grams) organic cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
- ½ orange, zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the butter streusel crumble topping:
- 250 grams (2 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
- 125 grams (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) organic cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 170 grams (3/4 cup or 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 375F / 190C.
- Combine fruit mixture: In a large mixing bowl, gently stir together the fruit mixture ingredients and set aside.
- Make the butter streusel crumble topping: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the softened butter and vanilla extract. Beat until it forms large crumbles. Press together any smaller crumbs by hand to form bigger crumbs (you don’t want the topping to be too fine). No mixer? You can also make the streusel by hand (see notes for instruction).
- Assemble: Pour the fruit mixture into a lightly greased 9-inch baking dish (or similar capacity) and spread out evenly. Then sprinkle the butter streusel crumble topping evenly over the top.
- Bake: Bake for 45 minutes or until the fruit mixture is tender and bubbly and the crumble topping is golden brown. Tip: Place a baking sheet under your dish to catch anything that might bubble over. Remove from oven and rest for about 15 minutes before serving to allow the fruit mixture to thicken up.
- Serve: Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, custard, yogurt, vanilla sauce or simply enjoy all on its own!
Notes
- Apples: The weight listed is when still whole. You can use any type of apple you like that holds up well to baking. I personally tend to use Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Gala, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Jonagold or Fuji apples. I would avoid McIntosh and Red Delicious apples for this.
- Making butter streusel crumble topping by hand: I love how easy it is to use the mixer but you can also make the topping by hand. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Drop in pieces of the softened butter and use your hands to press and pinch the butter into the flour mixture to form large crumbles.
- Use a kitchen scale! I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure some of the ingredients in the butter streusel topping (especially the flour). It allows you to achieve the correct ratio and consistent results every time (vs. the variation you can get filling measuring cups). It’s also so much easier and way less messy! I use this Escali kitchen scale but you can also find others on Amazon (some for under $10).
- Form large crumbs for the topping: This crumble topping is a German butter streusel which should have large, buttery cookie-like clumps. It should not be fine. Don’t stop the stand mixer too soon! At first the mixture will look like a dry “sandy” consistency and you might wonder what went wrong. No worries! Just continue beating longer until it comes together and forms large crumbs. Press any small crumbs together by hand to form bigger pieces.