'secret' crumble recipes

[berrychakewellplease]

I made an excellent crumble a few years ago with oats and brown sugar.

I was wondering if anyone else has any 'secret' to the best ever crumble. i am hoping to make a batch of topping and freeze it - if anyone has done this successfully do you have any tips.

I usually use Nigella’s recipe but with some adaptations. Nigella claims the texture of the topping is improved by giving the mixture a quick blast in the deep-freezer after it's been rubbed together. The thinking behind this is presumably the same as with chilling shortbread dough, slowing the melting of the butter and therefore helping the crumble to retain its pebbly shape while cooking. 120g flour (she uses self-raising, but I substitute plain instead), 90g butter, and 6 tbsp sugar, rubbed together into a mixture that resembles "porridge oats".
Nigella also claims that rubbing the butter in by hand gives a more crumbly texture; the food processor can make the crumbs so fine you end up with a cakey texture. Personally, I didn’t see much difference when I tried the two methods.
If you prefer a crunchier crumble topping, spread the crumble onto a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes at 190C/170C fan or until very lightly browned. Then scatter it over the fruit and pop back in the oven for 15 minutes.
Rolled oats are also a nice addition to an apple crumble, but I like a handful scattered on top, rather than mixed in, so they toast, rather than cook into a stodgy porridge below. Spices such as ground cinnamon, ginger and so on – also work well in moderation.
Some recipes recommend sweetening the apples with apricot jam and orange juice to make it twice as fruity. I like my apples quite tart, so I normally omit this step. My MIL adds a little syrup to her crumble topping.

@Ricekrispie22 thank you, you are a true crumble expert!!

No secret, but I pre-cook the topping as per @Ricekrispie22 as I like a bit of crunch

Fish pie but with savoury crumble, with hearts, Parmesan and olive oil.

Herbs, not hearts 😁

I melt my butter and pour it in the mix. Makes nice crunchy lumps.

I add a bit of rum to the fruit mix, and coconut to the topping. Makes it more crunchy and tastes delicious.

I pre-cook it too, I usually make more than I need, pre-cook it all then cool and freeze what I don't need. Add the frozen batch directly to the fruit and cook from frozen - it really is a time saver if you batch freeze some.

Cook your apples in brown sugar and a little butter to make a toffee sauce. Sprinkle a layer of dark choc chips under the apples. Add your crumble mix on top and another good sprinkle of choc chips. Bake until golden brown and have it with lots of vanilla custard.

don't precook the fruit, do shake plenty of sugar over it , and a spice to go with. If it's not a "juicy" type of fruit then a slug of alcohol won't go amiss, or fruit juice if you abstain!

use more butter than you think reasonable ...at least equal to flour

some white sugar in the crumble mix

demerara on top

Fancy options for the crumble....add same spice to crumble as you did to the fruit

add a skimpy handful of porridge oats...do not go overboard or it will get gluey

BISCUIT CRUMBS....we once went to the Dean's Shortbread factory and they had bags of shortbread crumbs on sale ...I thought for cheesecake bases as a change from digestives, but the woman there said they were great in crumbles...and they really are...I often bash up Amaretti or Nice biscuits, or Hobnobs

My favourite crumble is Belle Helene Crumble , my own invention! ....pears in the base, tinned or soft ripe ones. (if you have ones like bullets then half poach them, this is the only exception to the "do not pre cook the fruit" rule)
When making the crumble add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa ...you can do this at the beginning or the end, but if you are making the crumble by hand the cocoa will get under your fingernails and ruin your manicure :o so I stir it through after rubbing the butter and flour together.
Nice generous splash of pear brandy or creme de cacao on the fruit and some chocolate chips stirred through the crumble, serve with chocolate custard and creme fraiche :o

I am truly in awe of the crumble knowledge! Pears Belle Helene- takes me back! I shall have to build up to it.

I going for coconut and rum for my first posh crumble and I am going to do a big batch of plain, cook and freeze and poshify it when I cook it. Thanks all.

No advice about the topping, have you made strawberry crumble, it's to die for. My aunt used to own a greengrocers and when they got left with lots of strawberries, they would be sent to grandmas, who knock up pies and crumbles.

A good splosh of Port in with the fruit for a rhubarb crumble.

Use up any left over Christmas mincemeat in an apple & mincemeat crumble.

Absolutely best and easiest recipe - one of butter, two of sugar, three of flour. So whatever amount you want, those are the proportions. Make sure the butter is room temp and cut it small to make the crumbling together easier. Just stick your hands in the bowl and crumble in together until all mixed.

Thinly sliced apple, lots of cinnamon, sprinkle of demerara sugar, a couple of cloves and/or a load of mixed berries or rhubarb for a variation.

I like using a mix of brown and white sugar but it's all personal taste.

Hand mix the crumble topping. I add things randomly, so maybe a half teaspoon of cinnamon, or a tablespoon of oats, or of flaked almonds. It depends what fruit my crumble is. Pears cooked in a little cider or red wine is good!

Place Thornton toffee on top of the apples, the add crumble and bake. Gorgeous

Chop marzipan finely into little nuggets and sprinkle them randomly throughout your crumble mixture. Cook as normal. You’ll end up with chewy marzipanny bits.

@AstiPoomante....yes....marzipan in the crumble with peaches under, and a slosh of amaretto.

I like a bit of dessicated coconut in my crumble.

Place Thornton toffee on top of the apples, the add crumble and bake. Gorgeous

OH MY GODS! MARRY ME!!

I'm not very competent at weights etc, but it's not hard to knock up a crumble.
Prepare fruit and sprinkle with sugar and apple juice.
Rub plain flour, porridge oats and butter together in a sprinkle motion.
Add cinnamon if you like it.
Bake at 180 until golden.

Pineapple crumble with fresh ginger and lemongrass in the fruit, ground ginger, cardamom and cumin in the crumble, served with a hot chilli chocolate sauce.

Or rhubarb and strawberry crumble with rose water and mint.

I used the dusty bits from the end of boxes of honey nut clusters that DS1 refuses to eat. Got a Tupperware container collected over months .. sprinkle on rhubarb and pop in oven. I'm so lazy but I hate wasting food. I've used muesli in place of oats as mentioned above.

Anyone melting the butter before mixing - what you've made there is a biscuit! Nothing wrong with that, done it myself and it's amazing, but it's not really a crumble.

Mine is whatever's on hand - start with basic flour+butter+sugar, usually have oats, crushed nuts are lush (not peanuts, they don't work). Hazelnuts is probably nicest.

OMG, I'll be drummed out of the WI!