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Apple and Blackberry Crumble is the cozy, fruity dessert that fills the whole house with the smell of cinnamon and warm fruit. A jammy filling of tender Granny Smith apples and juicy blackberries hides under a buttery, golden oat topping, and it is absolutely made for a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. I make this on a cool evening when I want something comforting without much fuss, and it never lasts long. If you love easy fruit desserts, our peach upside down cake is another winner.
Cooking the fruit filling on the stovetop first means the apples turn perfectly tender and the crumble bakes up crisp and golden.
Apple and Blackberry Crumble Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 25 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 326kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm cinnamon apples and juicy blackberries under a buttery, crisp oat topping
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as simple as our cherry cheesecake bars
Quick Answer
To make Apple and Blackberry Crumble, cook diced apples in melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until tender, then stir in blackberries and thicken the filling with a cornstarch slurry. Pour the fruit into a baking dish, top with a crumble made from brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and melted butter, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Jump to:
- Apple and Blackberry Crumble Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Apple and Blackberry Crumble
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Apple and Blackberry Crumble FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Dessert Recipes
- Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The filling is cooked first. Softening the apples on the stovetop guarantees a tender, jammy filling with no crunchy bites.
- A crisp, buttery topping. Oats, flour, and brown sugar bake into a golden crumble that stays crunchy over the soft fruit.
- Sweet-tart flavor balance. Tart Granny Smith apples and juicy blackberries balance the buttery, cinnamon-sweet topping.
- Naturally cozy and comforting. Warm cinnamon fruit and a crisp topping make this the ultimate feel-good dessert.
- Easy pantry ingredients. No fancy tools or ingredients, just fruit, oats, butter, sugar, and spice.
- Made for ice cream. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into every bite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It has a jammy cinnamon apple and blackberry filling under a crisp, buttery oat topping.
- It comes together with simple pantry ingredients and is ready in under an hour.
- It is the coziest dessert served warm with ice cream, like our no churn cookie dough ice cream.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our apple crumble.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our plum crumble.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our toaster strudel.
Key Ingredients
A handful of simple ingredients make this cozy apple and blackberry crumble.
- Granny Smith apples: Tart and firm, they hold their shape and balance the sweet topping. Peel, core, and dice them small so they cook evenly.
- Blackberries: Juicy and slightly tart, they add gorgeous color and berry flavor. Fresh or frozen both work.
- Rolled oats: Old-fashioned oats give the crumble topping its signature crunch and hearty texture.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon: They sweeten and warm both the fruit filling and the crumble topping.
- Butter and flour: They bind the topping into buttery clusters that bake up golden, like the base of our oatmeal cream pie bars.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This apple and blackberry crumble is easy to change up.
- Swap the blackberries for blueberries, raspberries, or a mix of berries.
- Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumble topping for extra crunch.
- Stir a pinch of nutmeg or ginger into the fruit for more warm spice.
- Serve it with whipped cream, custard, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the way we top our cherry cheesecake bars.
- If you want to switch things up, our blackberry crisp plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- In the mood for something different? Our chick fil a milkshake scratches a similar itch.
- If you want to switch things up, our apple cider mimosas plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
How to Make Apple and Blackberry Crumble
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon until combined.
- Add the peeled and diced apples and stir to coat them in the buttery mixture.
- Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes until they begin to soften and turn golden.
- Stir in the blackberries and vanilla and cook for 4 minutes more until the apples are tender.
- Whisk the water and cornstarch together, stream it into the fruit while stirring, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until thickened.
- Pour the filling into a baking dish. Mix the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and melted butter into a crumble, sprinkle it over the fruit, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Dice the apples small and evenly so they cook through and turn tender in the filling.
- Cook the filling on the stovetop first, which guarantees soft apples and a thick, jammy texture.
- Do not skip the cornstarch slurry, since it keeps the filling from being runny.
- Use cold butter cut in or melted butter mixed with a fork for crumbly, clumpy topping instead of a paste.
- Place a sheet tray underneath the baking dish to catch any bubbling fruit drips.
- Let it cool slightly before serving so the filling sets up and does not run everywhere.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our fresh peach bars with crumble topping when company is coming.
- Make it a full spread. Our whipped blackberry honey butter rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Apple and Blackberry Crumble is best served warm, straight from the oven, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the crisp topping.
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the whole dish in the oven to re-crisp the topping. It also makes a delicious next-day breakfast with a spoonful of yogurt.
Apple and Blackberry Crumble FAQs
Granny Smith apples are ideal because they are tart and firm, so they hold their shape and balance the sweet topping. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Pink Lady also work well. Avoid softer apples like Red Delicious, which can turn mushy. A mix of tart and sweet apples is delicious too.
Yes, frozen blackberries work great in this crumble. There is no need to thaw them first, though you may want to cook the filling a minute or two longer and rely on the cornstarch to thicken any extra juice. Fresh blackberries are lovely in season, but frozen make this a year-round dessert.
The two are very similar. A crumble has a topping of flour, sugar, and butter, while a crisp usually adds oats and sometimes nuts for extra crunch. This recipe uses oats in the topping, so it blurs the line and gives you the best of both, a buttery, crunchy top over soft fruit.
For the crunchiest topping, make sure your crumble has clumps rather than a smooth paste, and do not cover the crumble while it is still warm, which traps steam. To re-crisp leftovers, reheat them in the oven rather than the microwave so the topping crunches back up.
Yes. You can make the fruit filling and the crumble topping separately a day ahead, store them in the fridge, then assemble and bake when ready. You can also bake the whole crumble ahead and reheat it in the oven. It keeps in the fridge for up to four days.
Absolutely. Freeze the assembled unbaked crumble, well wrapped, for up to three months and bake from frozen, adding extra time. Or freeze the baked and cooled crumble, then thaw and reheat in the oven. Either way, the topping crisps back up nicely when reheated.
Made this Apple and Blackberry Crumble? I would love to hear how it turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below!
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our apple hand pies, apple cranberry pie, baked apples, and raspberry cheesecake bites.
Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients
- 3 large Granny Smith apples
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pound fresh blackberries
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- For the crumble:
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 10-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside. You can also use a 9-inch baking dish with high sides.
- Peel and core the apples and cut them into fourths, then into a medium dice.3 large Granny Smith apples
- Place the butter into a large skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter, add in the brown sugar and cinnamon, stir to combine.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Add the apples, stir to coat in the butter mixture, and let cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.
- Stir in the blackberries and cook for 4 minutes until the apples are tender.1 pound fresh blackberries
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch.2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Slowly stream it in while stirring constantly, cook 1-2 minutes until the mixture is thickened.
- Add the mixture to the prepared baking dish and set aside.
- Place the brown sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine.1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pour in the butter and mix to combine with a fork until crumbly.2 tablespoons salted butter
- Sprinkle the crumble all over the fruit filling.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Place a sheet tray underneath to catch any drips
- Let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Cut apples into even chunks so they cook at the same speed.
- Keep butter cold for the topping—cold butter = coarse breadcrumbs that bake crunchy.
- Place the baking dish on a sheet pan to catch drips; burnt sugar on the oven floor is no fun.
- If topping browns too quickly, tent with parchment paper for the last ten minutes.
- Let crumble rest 10 minutes; the filling thickens and won’t scorch your tongue.
- Use a food processor for the crumble if you’re in a rush—pulse just until clumpy.
Nutrition
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