Tell me your secrets for a great crumble!

[NotABeliever]

I consider myself a good cook but I have never made a crumble which has pleased me! It's always dry, no matter what recipe I follow. Granted I was brought up abroad so it's not a dessert which I've ever seen made growing up. So please educate me! How do I make a really outstanding crumble?

Dark brown sugar and butter creamed in food processor (approx equal parts). Add nuts if you fancy, give a quick blitz. Then rolled oats, blitz half of them in to be amalgamated, then the other half just get a quick whizz so pretty much whole. No flour. Delicious
Sorry for lack of quantities, I do it by eye. But prob about 4 oz butter to about 6-8 oz oats.
The other thing is to cook the apples first (bramleys), but in orange juice (one orange, squeezed in), no water. When they soften then put in the dish with crumble on top. Yes to adding blackberries, or raspberries or whatever else is to hand and would be tasty.

i use rolled oats in mine, and a combination of butter and oil. And i add chopped nuts too

I never measure. Just add butter to the flour until it starts to almost form a dough like shortcrust pastry. Then add a couple of heaped tbs of sugar.

My best crumble was pear and strawberry. Peal the pears and slice a few strawberries in for colour and flavour. The pears keep their texture and form better then cooking apples which can mulch sometimes.

Also had a stunning tropical crumble once, pineapple banana and creamed coconut.

Definitely go heavy on the crumble:fruit ratio. Also dot some butter and sprinkle some sugar over the top before you bake it. Or buy M&S crumble mix.

Re the tinned raspberries, the ones I used were in apple juice, I think. They were from Asda, anyway. Not in syrup, I hate that.

Thank you!

I followed a recipe for the first time this year.
I have never used so much butter and sugar in a crumble ever!

It was bloomin gorgeous!

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-apple-crumble

As above, half fat to flour. The same recipe as shortbread. So if using 200g plain flour use 100g butter and 100g sugar. I use golden caster sugar. Add cinnamon / ginger / nutmeg / ground almonds to taste, to complement the fruit,

Fillings wise, tinned apricots are great, as are bags of frozen berries. Fresh plums / apples / rhubarb when in season. Add a little water and sugar to fresh fruit, enough juice to cover tinned fruit, and leave frozen fruit in their own juices.

I always add oats to my crumble mixture. 20 minutes in a medium oven spread on a baking sheet before it goes anywhere near any fruit.

Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall's apple and walnut crumble from his River Cottage Everyday is brilliant. Never fails to impress and is pretty simple.

For the topping rub equal amounts of butter and flour (can use other spread) then add half the quantity of oats in (eg if using 100g flour and fat use 60g oats) put on your filling of choice then sprinkle a little sugar on top

I think the trick is adding to the flour absolutely loads of butter and masses of demerara sugar so your teeth squeak. And a handful of oats and sprinkle Flaked almonds on top. I've also taken to adding a bit of butter to the stewing apples for some reason. Make sure you cook the crumble for long enough. Custard I think or cream.

Second time cooking of left-overs is often even better especially the burnt bits at the edges.

Equal amount of butter and brown sugar mixed with double the amount of flour. It’s perfect every time.

Definitely following this!!

My crumble is legendary. I don't measure ingredients. The key is in the 'crumbling', mix very lightly until you get the right texture. I usually add some oats and always a sprinkle of sugar on top. Always use uncooked fruit! I sometimes make pear crumble and swap a heaped tablespoon of cocoa for some of the flour. It's amazing and so simple to make.

My secret is melted butter.

Say it was quite a small crumble (serves 3), I take 150g flour and stir in about 70g sugar. Melt 75g butter in the microwave and mix into the topping, breaking it up into smaller lumps. Pop onto the fruit & bake for about 45mins. My favourite easy fruits are very thinly sliced peeled apple mixed with brown sugar (no need to ore cook) and frozen mixed fruit. I adjust the quantities to the size of crumble keeping the same proportions.

This topping makes an really crunchy crumble and is quick and not messy!

Wash your mouth out.

IMO the simpler the better. Butter not margarine or spread. Half butter to plain flour, and the same weight as butter in sugar. Nothing else - no oats, no spices, no nuts.

I agree with a pp that you need the same amount of topping as fruit.. I have also been known to cook the topping separately as well, though not always. Crumble must never be soggy.

I also don't pour custard on my crumble, but round it in order not to make the topping soggy.

Agree with PP that tinned apricots make a DELICIOUS crumble. I probably used the topping mix recipe from BBC food. I didn't have porridge oats so I used deluxe museli with hazelnuts and coconut flakes. Lush.

It needs to be 75%plus crumble imo.
Always add handful or two of oats

Cold ice cream or hot custard (depending on the time of the season).

You need more than half fat to flour. Eh 5 to 8. Lower the sugar and check the taste. Normally recipes are old fashioned and too sugary. I never cook the fruit in advance.

I do apple and blackberry with Demerara in the topping. I used to press the topping down but now just sprinkle it over, result is much better.

This is my approx ratio for the topping:

100g plain flour
75g butter
50g porridge oats
100g sugar
Handful of flaked almonds

I rub it together by hand (butter has to be slightly cold) then spread on a baking sheet. I give it a few mins in the oven till golden and then crumble it again once cool.

I stew my fruit separately in a pan so I can taste for sugar (and cinnamon or other spice if using) and make sure I can reduce any excess wateryness in the pan, once I've spooned the fruit into the dish. Then just a quick overall cook in the oven together with the topping.

I do it like this because I like to be able to taste my fruit, make sure it's not too wet overall, and also make sure the top is crunchy not gluey.

I make a thick topping using flour,butter and oats...

The fruit always just swallowed the crumble and made it soggy and I used to just sprinkle it on top.

Reading somewhere to press it down and then fork all the top so it was crumbly again (add demarara) but obviously not through the full depth of the topping has been a revelation and kept the juice in check!

And I melt the butter in the pan and add flour, sugar, oats, spice.

You fabulous bunch! Thank you so much for all the suggestions and recipes!