Isabella’s Apple Crumble

Introducing Isabella’s Apple Crumble! Isabella is my oldest daughter, the first half of my heart to go walking around outside my body, and I developed this recipe specifically for her taste buds. I’m excited to share it with you guys! It’s a very classic recipe; what makes it Isabella’s is how sweet it is. To me, it’s almost cloyingly sweet — to her, it’s perfection. Keep that in mind as you consider your own tastes or those of who you’re making this for. Make sure to check out my other apple recipes while you’re here!

Isabella’s Apple Crumble Ingredients

Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Isabella’s Apple Crumble recipe:

• Granny Smith apples, lemon juice: Green apples keep their shape and texture better after baking, and their natural tartness balances nicely. Other apples get mushy, and will also give you a sweeter end product. Adjust as you see fit. The diced apples get coated in lemon juice to further amp up their natural flavor, and to prevent oxidizing.
• All-purpose flour, self-rising flour, baking powder: All purpose flour for mixing into the filling, as a thickener. Self-rising flour for the crumble topping, plus a little extra baking powder – I recommend double acting aluminum free – for extra lift.
• Rolled oats: Quick cooking oats will work. I wouldn’t go with steel-cut, those are too thick and will still be hard and undercooked after baking Isabella’s Apple Crumble.
• Granulated sugar, dark brown sugar: Light brown sugar will work, and you can swap granulated and brown out as you see fit. I think you should keep it as written, for the best results, but it’s a versatile recipe.
• Ground cinnamon, ground ginger: Flavorings! Cinnamon in both the filling and topping, ginger in the topping. A bit of spice, but not too much. Substitute these with apple pie spice, for a shortcut.
• Salted butter: You might have noticed that Isabella’s Apple Crumble doesn’t call for any salt. That’s because I use salted butter for the topping. If you prefer unsalted butter, add about 1/4 of fine sea salt to the topping mixture.

How to Make Isabella’s Apple Crumble

Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Isabella’s Apple Crumble recipe:

• Start on Isabella’s Apple Crumble Topping. In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, self-rising flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger. Add the cubes of room temperature butter, and stir them in, then use your fingers, a fork, or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour and oat mixture. I like to use my fingers, and flatten the cubes of butter in the flour, then break them apart. Once the butter is well distributed, set it aside. Place an oven rack in the center, preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a 9″ baking dish with baking spray or pan grease. Set it aside. 
• Prepare the Apple Filling. Grab another large bowl and pour in your lemon juice. Peel, core, and dice your apples, adding the diced apples to the bowl and tossing them in the lemon juice before moving to the next apple – this will stop them from turning brown. Once all the apples are diced, add the ground cinnamon and all-purpose flour to the bowl. Use a silicone spatula to stir well, making sure the cinnamon and flour coats all the apples evenly. Pour the apples into the prepared baking dish.
• Finish the Topping. Grab the bowl of topping mixture and pour in the melted butter. Use another silicone spatula to mix the butter into the topping mixture. It’ll seem like you won’t have enough butter to soak through all the oats and flour at first, but you do, for the most part. Keep mixing! Once the butter is incorporated, press it down into a large mass to encourage it to stick together. Use your hands to sprinkle clumps of the topping mixture over all the apples. Try to distribute them evenly, and cover the apples entirely, especially around the edges of the pan. This will help prevent spillage. Once you’ve added all the crumble topping, place the dish on a baking sheet and place it in the oven.
• Finish Isabella’s Apple Crumble. Bake for 32–40 minutes, until your whole house smells like apples and cinnamon, and the top is deeply golden brown. Pull and let rest on the counter for a 10–15 minutes before scooping in, to help the topping set and give the filling time to thicken. Dassit!

Obligatory Pinterest Graphics –

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