Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Apple and Blackberry Crumble Recipe

This easy apple and blackberry crumble recipe shows you how to make a delicious traditional British dessert with baked fruits. This is the perfect way to finish off a meal.

Apple and blackberry crumble is one of my wife’s favourite crumble recipes. And it is even better when you can get all the main ingredients from your own garden.

My previous house used to have extensive blackberry brambles (actually I should say was a bit overgrown with them!). I also had a wonderful rhubarb plant and a nice selection of apple trees that I had planted myself 25 years ago.

So we could survive quite happily with our own homemade puddings through the summer months with rhubarb crumble and apple and cherry pie.

But in the fall when the blackberries are nice and ripe, this is a perfect dessert to make.

Even when out of season, in the winter, for example, fresh apples are always available in the supermarket and we can use frozen blackberries to make this dish. It is, after all, excellent on a cold winter’s day to warm you up!

 

Here I only had to buy some fresh apples, as I had the rest of the ingredients in the house.

We always have frozen blackberries in the freezer as we often use them to make smoothies for breakfast. But in the fall, we pick them for free in the local hedgerows.

History of the Crumble

Fruit crumbles are a beloved dessert in the United Kingdom, and their history can be traced back to World War II. During the war, food was scarce and rationing was in place, so inventive home cooks began making use of whatever ingredients they had on hand. One of these creations was the crumble, which typically consists of a layer of sweetened fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of flour, butter, and sugar (if they could get their hands on the latter).

Crumbles quickly became a staple dessert, especially in the colder months. Apples were a common fruit used in crumbles, but other seasonal fruits such as blackberries and rhubarb were also popular choices.

As the years went on, crumbles evolved and became more elaborate, with variations such as adding oats to the topping or using different fruits and spices. Today, crumbles remain a popular dessert in the UK and can be found in most restaurants and cafes, as well as in many homes.

Despite their humble beginnings, fruit crumbles have become a beloved part of British cuisine and continue to bring comfort and satisfaction to dessert lovers of all ages.

 

Apple and Bramble Crumble

Bramble is another word used sometimes to describe blackberry fruit. So this recipe is sometimes also called an apple and bramble crumble. Bramble also refers to the prickly shrub the fruit grows on, and believe me once they start growing they can be very difficult to get rid of.

I have a bramble interfering and integrating itself with my hedge in my present back garden which I need to somehow eliminate before it takes over. The only advantage is the free fruit in the fall, as long as I get to the berries before the birds do!

Crumbles or crisps are a great way to serve up fruit as a dessert. You can make all sorts of different flavours, depending on what you have available.

I think this simple apple and blackberry crumble recipe is better than a simple apple crumble recipe as it has the added tartness of the blackberries.

Not only does this improve the taste considerably as it gives it a wonderful sweet and sour combination, but it improves the colour no end. Look at this!

 

 

Of course, there are all sorts of other fruit crumbles you can make; summer fruit crumble, berry crumble (think of a berry, any berry!), mix and match crumble, gooseberry, plum. You pick the fruit.

Even rhubarb, which is actually a vegetable, makes an excellent crumble. 

Crumble topping mix

The secret is getting the crumble topping right. The sweetness of the cooked topping goes so well with the taste of the baked fruit.

In this crumble topping recipe, we have added some flaked almonds. This gives it a bit of a nutty taste.

Also, it is important to add sugar as the last ingredient to the topping, as this makes it crispier.

You can also add oats to the crumble topping mix if you wish. This would help to make it even more crispy. But then you might have to call it an apple and blackberry crisp, instead of crumble, as ‘crisps’ tend to use oats in the topping.

 

I hope you enjoy trying this recipe. If you do, please let me know how you get on in the comments section below!

How to make blackberry and apple crumble

You may also like:

 

Sharing is caring!