Apple blackberry Crumble

Embrace the flavors of fall with this easy and delightful Apple Blackberry Crumble. Juicy, sweet apples and tart blackberries create a luscious filling that’s topped with a golden, buttery crumble. Not too sweet and perfectly spiced, it’s a comforting dessert that is virtuous enough to eat for breakfast over yogurt, and ridiculously indulgent warm from the oven with a scoop of melting ice cream!

Easier And Better Than Pie

If, like me, you are more than a little intimidated to make a classic apple pie, or simply don’t feel like fussing with dough, this warm and comforting crumble is for you. It’s gloriously simple but will quickly satisfy all of your apple pie cravings.

For a little change from typical apple crisp or crumble, and to keep things bright and lively, we’re throwing in some blackberries to the mix. They contribute delicious, jammy juices to the filling and their subtle tartness contrasts beautifully with the sweet crumble topping.

The buttery, cinnamon-scented topping is out-of-this-world good, with a balanced salty-sweet nuttiness that I can’t get enough of. It’s somehow crispy and tender at the same time and I made sure this recipe gives you the perfect ratio of topping to filling because there simply isn’t anything worse than a crumble with not enough crumble.

Best of all, this crumble serves a crowd and can be prepared ahead. Serve warm with drizzles of cream or a scoop of ice cream, or enjoy it any time of day, even for breakfast. Yum!

Recipe Ingredient Notes

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Apple Blackberry Crumble:

• Apples – You will need to 6 large apples for this crumble, about 950 grams. Scroll down to read which variety of apples I recommend for this apple blackberry crumble.
• Blackberries – If possible, use fresh blackberries. You can use frozen if you can’t find fresh ones, just make sure to add them in their frozen state, not thawed.
• Lemon – A tablespoon of fresh lemon juice prevents the apples from browning and adds a subtle tanginess to the filling.
• Flour – For the topping, we use all-purpose flour.
• Baking Powder – Sohla El-Waylly adds baking powder to her crisp/crumble toppings so I started doing the same. Though optional, adding baking powder makes the crumble topping more tender.
• Oats – You want to use rolled oats, or old fashion oats for this recipe. Quick cooking oats will not work well for this crumble.
• Butter – Like most crumble toppings, this apple blueberry crumble uses the standard 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter. I’ve tried reducing it but the crumble isn’t as good. For this crumble, we also use melted butter instead of cold which I find makes the topping just a little crispier.
• Sugar – Here I use brown sugar for both the filling and topping. Feel free to use granulated sugar for the filling, if you wish. Lastly, this crumble is not too sweet, but perfectly sweet for us. If you like your desserts very sweet, increase the sugar accordingly.
• Spice – For this apple blackberry crumble, I like to keep the spices light because so I can taste the apples and berries. I only add a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg but feel free to adjust to your taste. I love a little spice in my crumbles so I add a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger you could add nutmeg or allspice if you would like to change it up a bit too or even some cardamom.
• Vanilla Extract – Adding vanilla is optional but I like floral aroma it gives the filling.
• Nuts – For a little extra crunch in the crumble topping, I like to add some chopped nuts. Here I added walnuts, but pecans, almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios would also be great. If allergies are a concern, simply omit the nuts and add another 1/4 cup of oats.

What Are The Best Baking Apples?

For any apple pie, you want to use an apple variety that isn’t too sweet and holds its shape. In other words, a good baking apple.

Many recipes call for using Granny Smith’s in pies but in my experience, they tend to get quite mushy in a crumble. I prefer to use Cortland’s, HoneyCrisp, or Northern Spies (when available). Recently, I have been using Ginger Gold‘s and I am in love with the outcome—perfectly cooked apples that don’t turn to much.

Using a mix of different apples is also recommended in order to get a variety of textures and flavors in your crumble.

What Is The Best Size Baking Dish To Use?

The amount of filling and topping called for in a crumble (or crisp) recipe will absolutely impact what size dish you should use. One of my biggest pet peeves is that many recipes don’t specify this so if you use a baking dish that is too big or too small, the ratio of filling to topping will be completely off.

This recipe makes a large crumble so you will need a 9×13-inch baking dish that isn’t too deep (preferably no more than 2 inches). A deep, 10-inch round pie plate or an 11×8-inch rectangular baking dish will also work but you may need to use 1 less apple (the topping can stay the same—it will just be a little thicker which is never a bad thing).

How to Make Apple Blackberry Crumble

Preheat oven and grease baking dish. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using soft butter, lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish.

Prepare the filling. Peel and core the apples then cut them into slices or 1/2-inch cubes. Add apples to a large bowl along with lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar. Toss to combine. Add the blueberries and gently toss so they don’t get too broken up (a little breakage is okay/good).

Make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, walnuts, baking powder, brown sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and use a fork or rubber spatula to stir the mixture until the crumbs look evenly moistened.

Assemble the crumble. Pour apple-blackberry mixture into prepared baking dish and spread the apples and berries into an even layer. Sprinkle topping evenly over the filling then bake for 50-60 minutes, or until juices are bubbling at center of crumble and topping is golden brown. 

To serve. Let sit, covered with foil, for 15 minutes to allow the juices to set. Serve with heavy cream, whipped cream, or ice cream, if desired.

Expert Tips 

• Adjust the amount of sugar accordingly. If your apples are sweet, add only 1 tablespoon of sugar to the filling. For apples that are sweet-tart, add two tablespoons. If you are using all tart apples, add 3 tablespoons of sugar. 
• Add only 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Too much cornstarch can make the filling become gloopy and slimy and muddy the flavours of the fruit. 
• Cover the baked crumble with foil as soon as it comes out of the oven. This will help the juices thicken and become syrupy.
• A note on salt. I only use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for all my cooking and baking. Other brands, or tables salt, might be saltier so err on the side of caution and use a little less.

Recipe FAQ’s

To Serve

You can serve this apple blackberry crumble just as is and absolutely no one will send it back. That said, crown it with a spoonful of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and this sweet treat will truly be as good as it gets.

How To Freeze Apple Blackberry Crumble

Crumbles freeze beautifully so you can get ahead with holiday baking by making a few batches to freeze. I prefer to freeze the crumbles unbaked because they don’t over-bake when reheated.

To freeze an unbaked crumble: Assemble the entire crumble and wrap tightly with two layers of foil so it is airtight. Freeze for 3-6 months.

To Bake a Frozen Apple Crisp: Remove the foil from the frozen blackberry and apple crumble and place the dish on a baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the apples are bubbling hot and the crisp is golden brown, about 30-40 minutes more.

Storing Leftovers

Storage: You can leave the apple blackberry crumble, covered in plastic wrap, or in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 more days. Note: During summer, or if your kitchen is very warm, I recommend refrigerating the crumble as soon as it has cooled.

To reheat: The crumble is excellent at room temperature and even cold straight from the fridge. However, if you would prefer it warm, you can reheat it in a preheated 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes. You can also reheat it for a minute in the microwave, but the topping may get a little soft.

More Delicious Apple Desserts To Try