Why You’ll Love It
Way easier than making apple pie! Between the cinnamon, the tender slices of sweet-tart apple, and caramel notes of brown sugar, this is the perfect dessert for sharing.
Low effort, high reward. Apple crumble is the best low-effort, high-reward dessert there is, with prep clocking in at about 15 minutes.
Key Ingredients
Unsalted butter: Melted butter acts as the glue that holds the crumble topping together and gives it a rich flavor.
Sugar: Light brown sugar is the ideal choice to use for the topping and filling. It adds a deeper flavor than granulated sugar and gives the crumble hints of caramel flavor.
Ground cinnamon: This warm spice is a natural partner to apples.
Helpful Swaps
Vanilla: An equal amount of vanilla bean paste can be used as a substitute for vanilla extract. But if you don’t have either, just omit it from the topping (it will still be great—I promise).
Lemon: Don’t sweat it if it turns out you don’t have a lemon or lemon juice; it’s OK to skip it without interfering with the recipe.
Sugar: Dark brown sugar and granulated sugar can be used in place of light brown sugar if you’re in a pinch.
Make-ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead: The crumble topping can be made and frozen up to three months in advance; no need to thaw before using. I recommend breaking the topping into small pieces before freezing.
Storage: Cover and refrigerate leftover crumble for up to three days. Serve cold, or reheat in a 300 degrees F oven for 20 minutes before serving.

