Best Ever Apple and Blackberry Crumble Recipe

Do you want to know the secret to the best ever apple and blackberry crumble recipe?

Is it the soft, tart, cooked apple mixed with the sweetness of ripe blackberries? Is it the golden crunch of a perfectly baked crumb topping, sweet but not too sweet?

Truth is, there are lots of elements to making a delicious fruit crumble. This was the first dessert I ever learned to make when I started cooking and baking from scratch, and it remains my favourite to this day. Not only is it delicious (more so than apple pie, in my opinion), but it is also incredibly easy (and pretty quick) to make.

So, if you fancy the idea of the most heavenly baking aroma drifting out of your oven, offering the promise of warm, soft fruit and crunchy crumb, then read on, and let me reveal my secret formula for the best ever apple and blackberry crumble!

Photo Credit: Apple and Blackberry Crumble by dichoheco, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

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The Recipe I'm Famous For!

My fruit crumbles have always gone down well, but I recently made apple and blackberry crumble again for my soon to be mother-in-law (complete with homemade custard), and afterwards, she declared it was the best apple crumble she had ever tasted!

My parents came to visit not long after that, and my dad as always requested that I make the crumble and custard (it's his favourite!). They also agreed that it was the best ever!

Later I thought about what made these crumbles different to the ones I made originally. Not much had changed, other than the odd tweak here and there, but when I thought about it a little more, I realised what that something different was. I'll let you into the secret a bit further down the page... but first, here's my famous recipe!

Prep Time: 15-20 mins

Total Time: 55-60 mins

Serves: 4-6

This secret comes in two parts and it involves the above equation.

Okay, so the middle, baking part is no secret. You make, and you bake. So, on to the first part:

THE SECRET INGREDIENT

Ingredients play a huge part in successful baking. I recommend using organic fruit, for superior taste, and good quality baking ingredients. The key ingredient, for me, however, is the spelt flour. I originally made the crumble with normal plain flour, and it was delicious. But I then read about spelt flour in my favourite cookbook, Fay's Family Food by Fay Ripley (a British actress who, as it turns out, is one heck of a good cook!), and began looking for it in my weekly shop.

SPELT FLOUR

Spelt is one of the original heritage grains, one of the first grains to be grown in Britain by early farmers (as early, in fact, as 5000 BC!)

It is enjoying a recent resurgence in popularity as more and more people turn away from the over-processed and bleached modern wheat flours. It is often recommended to those who are wheat-intolerant as it is kind on the digestive system and contains less gluten than normal flour, but it is great for everyone because not only is it kind on the tummy (so great for kids, especially when they have stomach upsets) but it is also high in fibre, and contains more protein, simple and complex carbohydrates, and B-complex vitamins than wheat.

It is becoming more readily available in most British supermarkets (I buy Dove Farm Organic Spelt Flours from Ocado) and is also starting to be sold in North American health stores and groceries too.

I have to say, now that I have started baking with spelt, there is no going back for me. Everything has a richer flavour, and the fact that it is nutritious and good for the tummy is a bonus! Since using it in this crumble, the result tastes even better. I highly recommend using this heritage grain in your baking too. Basically, use white spelt flour in place of plain white flour, and spelt flour in place of wholemeal flour. You can also turn spelt flour into self-raising flour too, by adding 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon of salt for every cup of spelt flour used in a recipe (sift the flour, salt and baking powder together a few times when mixing).

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THE OTHER SECRET INGREDIENT!

So now to the last part of that magical equation - love! I hear you - you're kidding me, right? How can "love" make something taste any different? Well, I'll explain.

Those who are familiar with my work will know that I am a kitchen witch. This form of traditional hedgewitchery focuses less on formal rituals and spells, and more on nature, herbs, food and sacred living. When we cook, we bless our food and imbue it with our hopes, wishes, love and hard work. Our cooking is our spellcraft. We knead magic into our bread, and stir luck into our soup.

When I rub the butter into the crumble, I not only focus love into it, but I focus whatever blessing I wish to bestow upon my family and friends who are going to eat it. This could be anything from good health or good fortune to healing, or strength. When I place the fruit in the pie dish, I am thankful to the Goddess and Mother Earth for her bounty, and thankful to God for His blessings. When I construct my crumble and place it in the oven for baking, I do so with love, and a reverence for the Earth's harvest.

You can do this in small ways or large, regardless of your faith (or lack thereof). When we start baking for the first time, we tend to worry and stress about whether or not our recipes will be successful (I know I did!), but as we grow in confidence and allow ourselves to enjoy baking, we come to love what we do, You don't have to go so far as I do, with blessings and thanks, but you can create your crumble with love and enjoyment. Trust me on this... it will taste so much better!

This is another good reason to make crumble by hand, unless you are unable to do so due to an affliction such as arthritis, for example. Taking the time to rub in the butter properly allows you to contemplate what you are doing, and be thankful for your family and blessings. I sometimes suffer from cramp in my thumb when rubbing in butter (which began in pregnancy out of nowhere and has plagued me ever since) but I always try to do this by hand, using just the one good hand if necessary!

If you're interested in learning more about kitchen witchery and our ways of using food with blessing and ritual, you'll find more information on these pages:

Do you think love is a secret ingredient in baking, or not?

Serve your crumble hot (or warm at least) with lashings of vanilla custard... yum! Why not try my other famous recipe, for proper Homemade Custard?

Alternatively, contrast the hot crumble with some cold vanilla ice-cream, or pour over some single (or double!) cream.

I hope you found this apple and blackberry crumble recipe helpful! Please leave your thoughts here.