Vegan Apple Crumble Recipe - Shane & Simple (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to crunchy crumble? ›

However, we also love adding porridge oats for extra chewiness, as in these recipes for very-berry oat crumble and American-style apple crisp. Chopped and toasted nuts such as pecans, almonds or hazelnuts also make a lovely addition to a traditional crumble, for taste as well as an extra-crunchy texture.

To Make the Crumble Topping

In a medium bowl, combine the vegan butter and plain white flour. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, chop up the vegan butter into tiny pieces until evenly distributed throughout the flour. Add the rolled oats, sugar, flaky sea salt and cinnamon.

Use the Right Amount of Butter

Too much butter and your topping will become a greasy blob or disappointingly soggy. Some recipes will ask you to cut in cold butter along with your dry ingredients, resulting in pea-size pieces that are sprinkled across the hot fruit filling.

Bramley apples (also known as cooking apples) will cook down and become beautifully soft and fluffy. If you prefer more distinct apple pieces, use eating apples and reduce the sugar quantity a little (as they are naturally sweeter than Bramley apples).

The main reason your crumble topping isn't crunchy is probably because you haven't used Demerara sugar. Although, it could also be that you've got your topping ingredient quantities wrong: either too much or not enough flour and butter alongside the sugar.

Double-baking the crumb topping keeps it wonderfully crisp over its jammy fruit filling.

What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

INGREDIENTS: PEA PROTEIN, PALM SHORTENING, PEA FIBER AND/OR PEA FLOUR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: FRUIT JUICE COLOR, NATURAL FLAVORS, GUM ARABIC, POTATO MALTODEXTRIN, SALT.

Cobbler: A fruit dessert made with a top crust of pie dough or biscuit dough but no bottom crust. Crisp/crumble: In Alberta, the terms are mostly interchangeable. Both refer to fruit desserts similar to cobbler but made with a brown sugar streusel topping sometimes containing old-fashioned rolled oats.

I usually give them a short blast in the microwave; not long enough to send them to mush, but just enough to keep their shape and texture and the oven will do the rest. I usually slice the apples quite thinly then put the crumble mixture on top and put the dish on a baking sheet.

What happens if you put too much butter in crumble? ›

If you use more butter than the recipe calls for, the crumb topping will be melted and greasy. If you don't use enough butter it will be dry and floury.

First, adding a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour mixture makes the crumble topping more tender. Second, using cold butter and working it into the flour mixture makes for a pastry-like topping reminiscent of pie crust. Pro tip: Crumble topping freezes incredibly well and can be kept on hand for crumble anytime.

The best apples to use for Apple Crumble

For this apple crumble I grabbed a few Granny Smith apples, then some fuji and honeycrisp. This recipe is also great for using up any fruit that might be slightly tired - you can cut off any really bruised bits.

Which apples bake best? For the best pies, crisps, and other baked treats, apples need to be firm enough to hold their own during the cooking process. We call these apples “baking apples” and to namedrop, they include Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.

Unpeeled apples will add a bit of color and texture to your pie, but they may prevent the apples from melding together when baked. Peeled apples will give you a delicately soft pie with no tough surprises, but some people argue that you lose the apple's nutritional value once the peel is removed.

The most common cause of hard crumble is using the wrong amount of butter. So, be sure to measure carefully! If you don't use enough, your crumble will be too hard. However, to fix it, just add melted butter one spoonful at a time over the mixture until it is a little moister and crumbles with ease.

If your crumb topping isn't crumbly you need to add a little more butter. Chances are you mis-measured the flour, but it is an easy fix. Start with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and mix that in, adding more if necessary. Don't add too much butter, though, as it will melt as it's baked.

If you have washed the fruit, make sure it is perfectly dry before cutting up. Avoid using stewed fruit, and don't cook your fruit first as it increases the risk of a soggy crumble. Frozen fruit works fine, and you generally don't need to thaw it, as this helps keep the top crisp.

Crumb topping can be as simple as flour and sugar thickened with butter, but two small upgrades make for a tastier crumble topping. First, adding a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour mixture makes the crumble topping more tender.