Tart apples, homemade caramel sauce, and a crunchy crumb topping make this warm Caramel Apple Crumble perfect for a quiet night home or a dinner party with friends. This 7-ingredient dessert is ready in just 30 minutes.
Hey, guess what! It’s Wednesday, therefore almost the weekend. We made it through February, even though it flew by as if it’s 3 days short. AND we get to eat warm caramel apple crumble straight from the pan. (I saved the best news for last.)
While setting up my week in my bullet journal, I briefly forgot that there are only 28 days in February. I got so excited that the week ended on a Sunday, since I like starting on Mondays. This way I get to keep my weekends as a separate chunk. It’s an organizational thing. However, since March is looming, I’ve been thinking about future recipes.
Now, let’s chat for a minute. My inner nerd loved the structure of following a theme over the past month. Do you want more themes? Is your inner nerd smiling along with mine? Despite the way I present recipes here, I spend an awful lot of time teaching myself new techniques and tricks. You can join me in my self-imposed baking challenges! We can tackle flaky doughs, working with yeast, the perfect drop cookie. I’m all ears.
Until you catch my eye, though, I’ll be giving my full attention to this crumble situation. It reminds me of county fairs, without worrying about how you’re supposed to bite into a sticky caramel-coated apple on a stick without getting it all over your face. Instead, we’re filling a cast-iron pan or your favorite baking dish with chopped apples tossed with your homemade salted caramel. Then, make it rain the world’s easiest and most delicious crumb topping and pop it all in the oven.
Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. I’ll take two please.
Sounds great, yet the real magic lies in the simple, short ingredient list. I used granny smith apples because their tartness helps balance the sweetness of the caramel. If you don’t like granny smiths then just use your favorite tart apple. Mixing all-purpose flour with rolled oats in the crumb topping ensure that we get those great crunchy clusters. Although the caramel sauce is made of granulated sugar, brown sugar plays off the flavor, tying the whole dish together.
Overall it’s not too sweet. Psst, that’s your invitation to top your caramel apple crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Go on, you won’t be sorry. Regardless what you thought before, you won’t be able to resist that hot/cold combination. I know I can’t. When the ice cream starts to melt into the warm crumble and it all comes together beautifully on your spoon. Try not to swoon, I dare you.
Here’s the real question. Are you going to serve yourself some on a plate? In a bowl? Or, like I said before, straight from the pan? Don’t worry about manners. I’ll take it as a compliment if you dig right in.
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold & cut into chunks
- pinch sea salt
- 1½-2 granny smith apples, peeled & chopped*
- 3 tbsp salted caramel sauce
- vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8-inch cast iron pan or ceramic baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Use your fingers to mix until a the crumb sticks together when pressed and resembles coarse sand. Toss the apples with the caramel directly in the prepared pan, ensuring that all the apples are fully coated. Spread them in an even layer, then top with the crumb topping.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the caramel is just bubbling. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Store covered in the fridge for 1 week.
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