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.

Butter, which encourages both browning and crispness, is the magic ingredient in getting your topping just right, so follow the recipe instructions. But if you feel your topping is still too dry and crumbly, (even for a crumble) add a bit more melted butter, a tablespoon at a time.

In a large bowl, toss together apples, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; transfer to prepared dish. In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt until large pieces form. Scatter over filling.

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.

Crumble requires more baking time than you think; the top should be brown and the filling should be bubbling. In order to thicken properly, the cornstarch in the filling must boil, which is why bubbling is a key indicator for doneness.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How do you keep apples from getting mushy in crumble? ›

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. I part cook the apples.

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.

I think the secret to a good crumble is 50-50 crumble to fruit. Just over half fat and sugar to plain flour. Pinch of ginger or cinnamon (depending on fruit). I make a really nice crumble with tinned raspberries.

Keep the Fruit Filling and Topping Separate, for Now

When making cobblers, crisps, and crumbles in advance, the best way to ensure a crispy, crackly topping — with no signs of sogginess — is baking and storing the fruit filling and topping separately.

I always have oats in my crumble topping. I think without oats, it's more a streusel, but I might be wrong. Either way-a thicker layer of it helps it stay more moisture resistant and give that nice crunch.

Crisps are essentially crumbles with the addition of oats and optional nuts, which causes the topping to “crisp” in the oven. Due to the higher ratio of oats to flour, crisps are often enjoyed for breakfast and are just as tasty eaten cold from the fridge as they are warmed up in the oven.

A crisp contains oats in the topping, while a crumble does not. Baking powder can also be added to a crumble topping (like it is here) to ensure it's extra light and tender.