Winter Fruit Crumble (Printable Version)

A comforting blend of spiced seasonal fruits topped with a golden, buttery crumble.

# What You Need:

→ Fruit Filling

01 - 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
03 - 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
04 - 1/4 cup brown sugar
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
07 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
08 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch

→ Crumble Topping

09 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
10 - 1/2 cup rolled oats
11 - 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
12 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
13 - 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
14 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
15 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Set the oven to 350°F and allow it to reach temperature.
02 - In a large bowl, combine apples, pears, cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch; toss until fruits are fully coated.
03 - Transfer the fruit mixture into a greased 9-inch baking dish and spread evenly.
04 - In another bowl, blend flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
05 - Rub cold cubed butter into the dry mixture using fingertips or a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form; fold in nuts if using.
06 - Distribute the crumble topping evenly over the fruit layer.
07 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the topping is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling.
08 - Let rest slightly before serving warm, optionally accompanied by vanilla ice cream or custard.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It uses whatever winter fruit you have lying around, no strict shopping list needed.
  • The crumble topping goes crispy on top and soaks up the fruit juices underneath in the best way.
  • It makes the whole house smell like a bakery without any fuss or fancy technique.
02 -
  • If your butter's too warm, the topping will clump and bake into hard lumps instead of staying crumbly.
  • Don't skip the cornstarch or you'll end up with a watery filling that soaks the topping instead of staying underneath.
  • Check the crumble halfway through, if it's browning too fast, cover it loosely with foil and keep baking.
03 -
  • Cut the fruit into similar-sized pieces so everything cooks evenly and you don't get raw chunks mixed with mush.
  • Taste your fruit before adding sugar, some apples are sweeter than others and you might need less.
  • Use a shallow dish rather than a deep one, you'll get more crispy topping and less soggy middle.

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