British Oaty Apple Crumble

 British Oaty Apple Crumble Recipe recipe

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 8 servings

Add a little twist to the traditional apple crumble with this British specialty. A great fall dessert, this easy recipe is a more luxurious version, with a muesli made of oats, dried fruits, and nuts in the crumble mix, resulting in a fruity base and crunchy topping that is absolutely decadent. Top this crumble off with custard, whipped cream, or homemade ice cream for the ultimate treat. 

British Bramley apples are used in this recipe as they are considered some of the best apples for cooking; the balance between the sugar and acid found in the Bramleys helps to keep their tangy flavor when cooked. However, there are many types of apples that can be used to make an apple crumble; just be sure to avoid the really hard varieties such as the Granny Smith.

"This recipe is easy, requires few ingredients, and your kids can even throw it together. It would be lovely for afternoon tea or a sweet addition to brunch. Mix it up with the addition of pears or berries. You can even change the flavor a bit by adding dried spices like cinnamon or nutmeg." —Carrie Parente

Luxurious Oaty Apple Crumble Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • 1 pound (450 grams) apples, preferably Bramley or other cooking apples

  • 2 tablespoons golden superfine sugar, or granulated sugar

For the Topping:

  • 6 ounces (175 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 4 ounces (115 grams) demerara sugar

  • 4 ounces(115 grams) butter, cold, diced

  • 1/2 cup (43 grams) oat-based muesli, or 1/4 cup (23 grams) rolled oats plus 1/4 cup (23 grams) mixed dried fruits and nuts

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 F/180 C/Gas Mark 5.

     Ingredients for British oaty apple crumble

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. Prepare the filling by peeling, coring, and chopping the apples into bite-sized chunks. Don't cut the apples too small or they will disintegrate.

    Peeled and chopped green apple

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Grease a shallow 9 x 7-inch/23 x 18-centimeter (or 8 x 8-inch) baking dish. Put the apples in the dish, sprinkle the caster sugar over, and set aside.

    Diced apples and sugar in a shallow baking dish

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  4. To make the topping, put the flour, demerara sugar, and butter in a large bowl.

    Flour, butter, and sugar in a large glass bowl

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  5. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar until you have a very coarse sand-like mixture. Don't worry too much about making it look uniform; this is a rustic dish and works well with an uneven texture.

    Flour, butter, and sugar mixed together with hands

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  6. Stir the muesli (or the oats plus fruits and nuts) into the crumble mixture.

    Muesli mixed with the butter, sugar, and flour

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  7. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the apples. Bake the crumble until golden and the liquid is bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes.

    Muesli, butter, sugar mixture on top of apples

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  8. Remove the crumble from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with custard or a large dollop of good vanilla ice cream.

     British oaty apple crumble in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Tip

You can easily double or even triple the recipe to feed a crowd. Bake it in a larger pan and make sure the apples are tender and the topping is browned and crisp before taking it out of the oven.

What Is Caster Sugar?

Caster sugar is the name for fine sugar in the U.K. and comes in two varieties, white and golden. Golden caster sugar is unrefined and has a golden color. If you can't find it, use ordinary white caster sugar instead.

Crumble vs. Crisp vs. Cobbler

These three types of desserts are similar in the sense that they have a fruit base with some sort of pasty-like topping. A cobbler is crowned with a biscuit mixture, while crumbles and crisps have a streusel on top. The lines blur a bit when it comes to crumbles and crisps; technically, a crumble doesn't include oats, but over time both types of desserts have tended to feature this crunchy ingredient.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
292 Calories
12g Fat
45g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 292
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 7g 37%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 97mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 45g 16%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 126mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)