There is nothing better than on a Sunday evening sitting down to a roast dinner with a crumble served up for dessert. Throughout the year we alternate what we put into our crumble from Rhubarb in Spring to Apple crumble as the temperatures drop and Banana and Rum in the summer months. It’s a favourite and although I have special crumble toppings mostly I use my grandmothers basic crumble topping recipe. It’s really easy to make and only has 3 store cupboard ingredients but throw whatever fruit that you have around and make this family-friendly dessert for others.
Ingredients for your Basic Crumble
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100g Plain Flour (all purpose)
50g Cold unsalted Butter Cubed
3 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
Making the Crumble Topping
Read our top tips and then scroll down to get a printable recipe card to make it easier to make this next weekend too! Watch the video below to see how we used this delicious crumble mix with our very own cooking apples to create an amazing rainy day dessert.
The most important thing when making crumble like when you make pastry is to have cold hands this will stop the butter from softening and you can then rub it into the crumb consistency needed. Run your hands under a cold tap before you start rubbing the butter into the flour.
- Add cold cubed butter to the flour.
- Rub the butter in so that it becomes a crumb like consistency.
- Add the caster sugar and mix together.
- Cut your fruit and then place the crumble topping over.
- It takes around 25 – 35 minutes in the oven depending on the depth of the crumble to cook and crust nicely.
Making the Crumble Mixture in the Food Processor
I’ve just got my first ever food processor and this has cut the time making the crumble mixture down to a matter of seconds. Same ingredients as before.
- Cube the cold butter.
- Pour the flour and butter into the food processor.
- Pulse it to mix to a breadcrumb consitency.
- Pour into a bowl.
- Add the Sugar.
Then use as you would normally use.
Eat the crumble hot or cold with custard, ice-cream or my personal favourite natural yoghurt.
Want to change this recipe to oz instead of grammes then check out our Kitchen Conversion Charts perfect for framing or putting in your recipe binder.
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Use this crumble topping to make this delicious Apple and Sultana Crumble perfect for a Rainy Day Dessert and ideal comfort food.
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With guests around I like to use a decorative pie dish – sometimes the crumble fruit isn’t that great to look at so this shows off the delicious crumble topping but hides the fruit from view.
A simple recipe for a basic crumble topping perfect for an easy family dessert. Only 3 ingredients and quick to make. It can be frozen and used at a later date.
- 100 g Plain Flour all purpose
- 50 g Cold unsalted Butter Cubed
- 3 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
- Fruit of your choice
-
Add cold cubed butter to the flour.
-
Rub the butter in so that it becomes a crumb like consistency.
-
Add the caster sugar and mix together.
-
Cut your fruit and then place the crumble topping over.
-
It takes around 25 - 35 minutes in the oven preheated to 200C depending on the depth of the crumble to cook and crust nicely.
The most important thing when making crumble like when you make pastry is to have cold hands this will stop the butter from softening and you can then rub it into the crumb consistency needed. Run your hands under a cold tap before you start rubbing the butter into the flour.
Freezing your Crumble Topping
One of the reasons I love this basic crumble recipe so much is how easy it is to make. You can make a bulk of it (2:1 ratio with the flour and butter and then add in sugar 3 tablespoons per 100g of flour) and then freeze.
I use our freezer storage boxes and divide up into family portions and then can take them out on a weekday and use them for a quick and easy delicious crumble in the evening. Defrost through the day and just pour over the chopped fruit before cooking.
More family favourite Desserts to Enjoy
Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe
Raspberry and Vanilla Cheesecake Bars
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Christina
Thank you for providing such a great tutorial. I’ve used this several times already!
Sandra
Perfect basic crumble recipe! I used on a Country Apple Pie instead of the pie crusts! It was, well… perfect.
Wendy
I just made a huge batch today and put it in the freezer for all my muffins and desserts. Thanks for a great recipe.
Denay DeGuzman
This quick and easy crumble topping recipe is so delicious! I used mine with apples and served it with a side of ice cream. So darn yummy!
Amanda
I love making a batch of crumble topping and keeping it in the freezer when I want to make use a bit for tossing into ice cream or oatmeal… or use the whole thing for crumbles and pies. It’s perfect
Melissa
What a simple and delicious recipe! I can’t wait for our apples and pears!
Vicki finn
I never have the patience to make a crumble topping and usually skip it all together. Thanks for sharing this recipe and the walkthrough. It made it so much easier to make this and my family enjoyed the crumb cake so much more with the topping on it!
Anonymous
Regularly have this and it tastes amazing
Chris
So wonderful and simple to make.