My Favourite Apple Crumble (Crisp) Recipe

Apple Crumble has to be one of the most classic, most used desserts that Kiwis make. It's so easy, so quick and feeds a lot of mouths, and is very comforting on a chilly Autumn evening during lockdown.

With bags of apples going for $2 at the grocery store I picked up one yesterday and in spite of it not being a gorgeous, tart Granny Smith or cooking apple, but rather a sweet, soft Pacific Rose, by adding a handful of early, tart Feijoas, the apple crumble came out with the perfect combination of sweet and tart. (If you peel the Feijoas and slice them, you get more out of them than cutting them in half and scooping out the flesh).

This fed my family of five with enough left over for dessert the next night (or breakfast - like I used to do when I was a child and would sneak down to the kitchen in the wee small hours of the early morning while everyone was asleep and help myself - cold Apple Crumble is amazing too)! 

Here's my favourite recipe to use.

My Favourite Apple Crumble Recipe

7 large Apples 

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup coconut

1 TBSP cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

150gms butter (2/3 cup)

2 tsp vanilla essence

Set oven to 180 deg C.

Peel and core apples and slice. Place into a large pot with water and simmer gently until softened slightly (only about 5 minutes). Drain water off. If you are adding Feijoas, don't cook these, just add them raw into the apples after you have drained the water.

Combine first measure of sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Pour over apples and stir to disperse evenly through apples. Pour into the bottom of a baking dish.

Melt butter in a pot and add essence once butter is melted.

Combine the rest of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, coconut, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Pour butter and vanilla into dry ingredients and mix together well - a fork is best to mix this.

I prefer to grate my own nutmeg.
You can buy it whole at the grocery store and then use a
microplane grater to grate fresh into your dessert.

Spread crumble over the top of the apples evenly and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown and the apples are bubbling.

Serve with whipped cream, custard or ice cream.