Cranberry Apple Crumble

Cinnamon brown sugar apples baked with a layer of cranberries and topped with an oat and pecan streusel, this cranberry apple crumble is quick and simple.

What is streusel?

Streusel is similar to the crumb topping you would find on a coffee cake but it is usually a bit thicker and slightly less crumbly. Almost like sugar cookie dough that gets crumbled on top and bakes into little crunchy crumbly bits. This version includes oats and pecans, I like using quick cooking rolled oats because they don’t get as hard and are a bit smaller but you can use regular rolled oats too!

What’s the difference between a cobbler, crumble, and a crisp?

Ok to be honest I had to look this one up too because in Germany there aren’t all of these versions. All three are baked fruit with SOMETHING on top. However, a cobbler has more of a biscuit/pie dough topping whereas crumbles and crisps have a crumblier, streusel like topping, usually including the addition of oats. Based on what I can find, a crumble and a crisp are basically the same just from different places.

What is the secret to a good Crumble?

The proper ratio is the key to a good crumble, just the right amount of sugar, butter and flour keeps it crisp but not dry and perfectly golden brown on top of the fruit. When baking with apples it’s also important to include a binding agent such as flour or cornstarch to absorb the extra water that cooks out of the apples.

Tips for making an Apple Crumble

• I made this in a small 5″ x 5″ ceramic baking dish because I didn’t feel like making a big one but if you are making it for a large group I recommend a 12″ diameter round ceramic baking dish. In that case, scale the recipe up about 4.5x. Unlike a berry crumble, this apple crumble should be FULL ok like mounded on top of the baking dish or pan. Apples shrink while baking so if you under fill it, the crumble will look sad and flat after baking.
• Ideally you want to use an apple that’s a bit more on the tart side. I like to use honeycrisp but green apple or pink lady work too! If you can’t find cranberries, a layer of blackberries or raspberries on top would also be delicious!
• For Christmas I actually used this recipe but baked it in a pie pan with pie dough and it worked perfectly! It does take a while to bake in a pie, close to an hour and a half so if it starts to get too dark, simply lay a piece of foil over the top.
• I recommend baking it on a baking dish because we are piling it so high, a cranberry or two has been known to all off the edge while baking.
• This is one of those recipes where you need to look for a visual clue to know that it’s done. The key is to see the cranberries bubbling at the edges. If the cranberries aren’t bubbling it isn’t done.
• Top this with anything from vanilla ice cream, to whipped cream, to vanilla custard sauce or leave it plain!

Additional recipes to try!

• Plum Berry Crumble
• Apple Blackberry Tart
• German Baked Apples

Ingredients for a fruit Crumble

• Apples: I recommend using honey crisp, pink lady, or granny smith apples for this crumble! I don’t peel my apples but you can if you want too!
• Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries will work! You could also use blackberries or raspberries instead!
• Brown Sugar: This recipe uses brown sugar for the filling and the crumble but white sugar works too!
• Lemon Juice: A little bit of lemon juice helps balance out the sweetness and brightens the flavor of the apples.
• Cinnamon: I like a bit of cinnamon in the filling with the apples and in the streusel for that warm holiday flavor.
• Butter: Butter is the key to rich and crisp streusel.
• Salt: Fine sea salt helps balance out all of the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds flavor and enhances the sweetness of the streusel.
• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this crumble! You could also use whole wheat flour or even substitute gluten free flour although you may need a little extra. There is also tiny bit of flour stirred in with the apples to help absorb the extra moisture and bind them together.
• Oats: I love using quick cooking rolled oats in the streusel but any regular rolled oats will work too! If you want to make the recipe gluten free with gluten free flour, be sure to use gluten free oats.
• Pecans: For this apple crumble I added some chopped pecans to the crumble for flavor and texture but you could swap them for other nuts or leave them out all together.

How to make an Apple Crumble?

Apple Cranberry Filling

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Rinse the apple and dice it into 1″ chunks removing the core. Add it into your baking dish and toss with the juice of half a lemon.
• Sprinkle the apple with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and a touch of salt and stir to combine. Finally sprinkle on 15 grams of flour and stir once more to combine.
• Set aside while you make the streusel.

Streusel

• In a medium bowl use a fork to stir together the soft butter, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Pour in the flour and oats.
• Using the fork again, rub the butter mixture into the dry ingredients until all of it has been fully mixed in. Then toss in the chopped pecans and mix once more.

Assemble and Bake the Crumble

• Rinse the cranberries and pack them in on top of the apple.
• Clump the streusel and pack it over the fruit. It’s ok if the whole thing is a bit mounded.
• Place the dish on a baking sheet and into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the streusel is golden brown. The main indicator should be that the cranberries are bubbling. You may need to bake longer if using a bigger baking dish but it should be about the same amount of time as long as your baking dish isn’t more than 2″ deep.
• Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes on a wire rack just so you don’t burn your mouth.
• To serve, optionally top with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a vanilla custard sauce.

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