Double Crumble Apple Crisp

by Sarah | Broma Bakery

What’s better than homemade apple crumble? DOUBLE crumble apple crisp. AKA perfectly spiced, juicy apples sandwiched between buttery, oat-y crumble on the bottom and top. Serve it up warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you are in heaven.

Double Crumble Apple Crisp

There are a lot of apple crisp recipes out there, but this one has a little something extra: there’s crumble on the bottom AND crumble on top. MY DREAM. The bottom layer gets buttery and chewy underneath the apples, while the top gets golden, crisp, and crunchy. Basically, it’s the best parts of apple crisp twice.

You are very welcome.

What is double crumble apple crisp?

It’s exactly what it sounds like: a classic apple crisp, but with twice the crumble.

Instead of putting all of your crumble topping on top of the apples, you’ll press about half of it into the bottom of your baking pan first. Then you’ll layer your cinnamon-spiced apples over that and finish it off with the remaining crumble.

The result is a crisp that’s a little more substantial, a little more buttery, and, frankly, a lot more fun to eat.

What you’ll need to make this delectable crumble

Butter: You’ll want softened unsalted butter for this crumble. Because we’re using softened rather than melted butter, the crumble holds together in those big, chunky clusters that make an apple crisp so good.

Oats: Old-fashioned oats give the crumble plenty of texture and chew. Don’t use quick oats here, as they’ll make the topping much softer.

Flour: All-purpose flour gives the crumble structure and helps everything come together.

Brown + granulated sugar: A combination of both sugars gives you the best of both worlds: brown sugar for that deep, caramel-y flavor and granulated sugar for crispness.

Cinnamon: Because cinnamon belongs in basically every apple dessert.

Salt: Don’t skip it! A little salt makes the buttery, sweet crumble taste even more buttery and sweet.

For the apples

Apples: You can use your favorite baking apples here. I love a mix of sweet and tart apples, but honestly, this crisp is pretty forgiving. Just make sure they’re peeled, cored, and sliced thinly so they cook evenly.

Brown sugar: Just enough to sweeten the apples while still letting their natural flavor shine.

Flour: The flour helps thicken all those delicious apple juices as they bake, giving you a saucy filling instead of a watery one.

Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves make these apples taste like fall in the best possible way.

Salt: Again, a little salt goes a long way.

How to make double crumble apple crisp

First, make the crumble. Preheat your oven to 375°F and generously grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, oats, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Use your hands or a silicone spatula to mix everything together until you have a crumbly dough that holds together when squeezed.

Make the bottom crumble layer. Take about half of the crumble mixture and press it firmly into an even layer on the bottom of your prepared pan. You don’t need to pack it down super hard, but you do want it to cover the entire bottom. Set the remaining crumble aside for the topping.

Prepare the apples. Combine the sliced apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Toss everything together until the apples are evenly coated in the sugar and spices.

Layer it up. Pour the apples over the bottom crumble layer and spread them into an even layer. Then take the remaining crumble and squeeze it into your palms before breaking it apart into big and small clusters. Scatter it all over the apples. The more variation in your crumble pieces, the better.

Bake. Bake at 375°F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden brown and the apples are bubbling around the edges. Place the baking pan on a cooling rack and let the crisp cool slightly before serving.

Can you make apple crisp ahead of time?

Absolutely. Apple crisp is one of those desserts that’s actually pretty easy to make ahead.

You can assemble the entire crisp, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it for up to a day before baking. When you’re ready to bake, you can put it straight into the oven, though you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time since the crisp is starting out cold and the apples will have released more moisture in the fridge!

You can also bake the crisp ahead of time and reheat it in the oven before serving. I recommend reheating it uncovered so the crumble can crisp back up instead of getting soft.

How to serve double crumble apple crisp

This is one of those desserts that doesn’t need much. Warm apple crisp + vanilla ice cream is the move.

The cold, creamy ice cream melts into the warm cinnamon apples and buttery crumble, and suddenly you understand why people have been making apple crisp for approximately a million years.

If you want to really go for it, add a drizzle of salted caramel sauce on top. Or a little homemade whipped cream. Or both. I’m not here to stop you.

Happy baking, my friends!

XXX

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