Blueberry and apple crumble

We're heading into winter and already I'm freezing. My blood runs cold at the best of times but when winter comes along, it runs as cold as ice.

The minute the leaves on the trees start to turn amber, I am instantly craving crumble. I know the word 'crumble' may now be associated with the infamous cookie chain in the States, but to me, crumble means delicious fruit, a crisp oaty top and warmth.

This recipe is great for beginners, can be changed for different varieties of berries or poached fruit and is incredibly delicious. I've taken inspo from RecipeTin Eats for the fruit component and Stephanie Alexander for the crumble top - Stephanie was always my go-to for that growing up. I've played around with the amount of sugar and spices in their recipes to make it perfect to my tastebuds. 

Are you ready to CRRRUMMMMBLE? Good, let's go. 

Blueberry and apple crumble
INGREDIENTS 
FRUIT
3 x granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into cubes 
1 cup frozen blueberries (or any berry of your choosing!)
1/8 cup plain flour
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla essence (do ensure this is essence or extract, not vanilla bean paste on this occasion!)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger 

CRUMBLE TOPPING
70g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
85g plain flour 
1/2 cup brown sugar (you can reduce this down if you want your crumble to be less sweet, but try it first!)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup oats (don't use quick oats here!)
1/2 cup roughly pounded almond flakes (leave out for a nut free option! Or switch out for chopped walnuts or hazelnuts)
Fresh nutmeg 
Sea salt flakes

Double cream, ice-cream or pouring cream to serve (I opt for both double cream and pouring cream, personally!) 

Method - 
1. Pre-heat your oven to 160c fan forced / 180 conventional.
2. In a large bowl, mix apple, blueberries and plain flour, toss to coat. Add your caster sugar, lemon juice, vanilla essence and spices and mix together until all the fruit feels covered. Topple into a baking dish - I use this metal dish from Ikea, but any large ceramic / baking dish would do! It just needs to measure roughly 20cm x 25cm or hold about 2.5 - 2.6 litres. 
3. Now for the crumble topping: start by popping the flour and cubes of butter into a bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until you get the consistency of wet sand. It's okay if you have little clumps of butter! Mix in your brown sugar, spices, oats and nuts, if using. Using a microplane, grate over a wee bit of nutmeg and throw in a good pinch of sea salt. Mix together and spoon over your fruit. 
4. Bake your crumble for 35 - 40 minutes until the top is a gorgeous pale brown / golden colour (it should literally be the colour of brown sugar). 
5. Remove from the oven, allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving with your choice of cream or ice-cream! 

Trixie Tips & Trix!
SWAP: Swap the blueberries out for raspberries / blackberries or mixed berries. You could also switch the apples for pears. 

SUGAR: The level of sweetness comes down to personal preference. I have a sweet tooth, but in saying that, I am the first to criticise a dessert when it's too sweet. I personally think having more sugar in the crumble topping and less with the fruit mixture balances it perfectly. You could switch around your sugars though, depending on how caramelly you want it.

GREEK YOG: Opt for Greek yoghurt (or any yoghurt) if cream isn't your thing or your feeding kiddy winks. Tell them it's cream - they'll never know.