Category: apple

Apple Cider Moscow Mule Recipe

This Apple Cider Moscow Mule is about to become your go-to! It’s a cozy … Read more
The post Apple Cider Moscow Mule Recipe appeared first on Sugar and Charm.

This Apple Cider Moscow Mule is about to become your go-to! It’s a cozy ... Read more

The post Apple Cider Moscow Mule Recipe appeared first on Sugar and Charm.

Sausage Stuffing

This easy Sausage Stuffing recipe is perfect for the holidays, with savory sausage, sweet apple, and crispy bread cubes. Plus, it’s egg-free!

The post Sausage Stuffing appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, this apple Sausage Stuffing recipe needs a permanent spot on your holiday menu! It’s rich, savory, and made completely from scratch (while still being super easy to prepare!). The top is crispy, the center is soft and moist, and the sausage adds a meaty flavor to every bite. And because I don’t use eggs, this recipe is also egg-free and can easily be made veggie/vegan! Pile it high on your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner plate, and I guarantee you won’t have any leftovers.

Overhead view of sausage stuffing in a casserole dish.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this sausage apple stuffing:

  • Bread: I slice bread into cubes and toast them slightly in the oven before mixing with the other ingredients. You can use any bread you like—seriously, it doesn’t have to be fancy. I used a mix of brioche, multi-seed, and sourdough.
  • Mild Ground Italian Sausage: I chose a mild Italian sausage for this savory holiday side dish. It added the perfect amount of kick while still letting the herbs and spices in the poultry seasoning shine through. I’ve also shared some ideas below for making this dish vegetarian or vegan.
  • Butter: You’ll need one stick of salted butter, about 4 oz. This is used to sauté the veggies and add flavor to your sausage stuffing.
  • Yellow Onion & Celery: I dice these veggies small for an even mix throughout. They help create that classic stuffing flavor and stretch this recipe without adding too much expense, so don’t skip them!
  • Garlic: Infuses everything with a light garlic flavor.
  • Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning are the perfect mix of seasonings! I usually find poultry seasoning (a mix of herbs like thyme, sage, rosemary, and more) down the spice aisle in most grocery stores.
  • Chicken Bouillon & Hot Water: We almost always use Better Than Bouillon when making broth here at Budget Bytes! It’s simple to use, affordable and adds so much flavor.
  • Apple: I’ve always added apple to my homemade sausage stuffing, and my family loves it. I like using a tart, green apple like Granny Smith. Different varieties will bring different levels of sweetness, so choose your favorite.
  • Parsley: For sprinkling on top once the baking dish comes out of the oven.

What’s the Best Bread for Stuffing?

When I said you can use any type of bread for this stuffing, I meant it! It’s a great recipe for using up the heels of bread from sandwich loaves you may already have on hand. You can even use burger and hot dog buns! Just try to end up with about 9 ½ cups of bread cubes.

I like using a mixture of bread for different flavors and textures, but whatever you have on hand will work great.

Vegetarian and Vegan Option

This side dish is easily made vegan or vegetarian-friendly with a few simple swaps. You can use a vegetable bouillon and find a vegan sausage or ground beef substitute in place of the chicken broth and sausage. I also recommend double-checking that the bread you use is vegan-friendly, as some can contain dairy or eggs. We also have a vegetarian stuffing recipe you can check out as well!

Recipe Tips & Variations!

  1. As you stir in the homemade bread cubes, they’ll begin to soak up the moisture and oils from the vegetables and sausage in the pan, which will make it easier to handle. The bread eventually soaks up all of the yummy liquid; this is almost like a savory bread pudding when finished.
  2. I saw a lot of recipes calling for eggs, but we never used eggs in our sausage stuffing growing up, so I saved a bit of cash but didn’t sacrifice any flavor or quality while making this.
  3. Feel free to add any mix-ins you like! I think dried cranberries, chopped nuts, or extra veggies like mushrooms would all work well in this recipe. You can also play around with the seasonings and add your favorite herbs or spices.
  4. This dish is best served fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350F until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Or, better yet, I’d make these leftover stuffing muffins out of them!

Make It Ahead

I love an easy make-ahead dish, especially over the holidays when my kitchen is already overflowing with food! You can prep this Italian sausage stuffing recipe up to two days in advance. I’d toast the bread cubes and then follow the recipe as written up to step 5, stopping just before the chicken broth is added. Let everything cool, cover it with a lid or some foil, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake it. When you’re ready, pour the chicken broth over the top and bake as directed.

A wooden spoon scooping sausage stuffing from a casserole dish.
Overhead view of sausage stuffing in a casserole dish.
Print

Sausage Stuffing Recipe

This easy Sausage Stuffing recipe is perfect for the holidays, with savory sausage, sweet apple, and crispy bread cubes. Plus, it's egg-free!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Total Cost ($11.95 recipe / $1.49 serving)
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 8 servings (about ¾ cup)
Calories 441kcal
Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Equipment

Ingredients

Bread Cubes

  • 12 slices of bread*, cut into 1 inch cubes (9 ½ cups total) $2.56
  • cooking spray $0.01

Stuffing Ingredients

  • 1 lb mild ground Italian sausage $3.57
  • 1 stick salted butter $1.06
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups) $0.94
  • 4-5 celery stalks, diced (about 1 ½ cups) $0.95
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced $0.12
  • 2 Tbsp poultry seasoning, dried $1.32
  • ½ tsp salt $0.01
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.04
  • 1 apple, cored and diced (skin on) $1.00
  • 3 tsp chicken bouillon** $0.27
  • 2 ¾ cups hot water (to be mixed with bouillon) $0.00
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced $0.10

Instructions

Bread Cubes Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray the bread cubes lightly with cooking spray. Bake in 350F oven for 15 minutes until dehydrated and lightly toasted. You should have around 9 ½ cups of bread cubes. Set aside.

Stuffing Directions

  • In a large sauté pan, cook ground sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks, until browned. Strain excess fat and set cooked sausage off to the side in a bowl.
  • Wipe out the sauté pan and melt the stick of butter. Add diced onion, diced celery, minced garlic, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
  • Cook over medium heat until the onions and celery are glossy and have softened, about 5-8 minutes.
  • Add cooked sausage and a handful of toasted bread cubes to the sauté pan and mix to combine.
  • Add more bread cubes until all have been used up. Then, add diced green apple.
  • Pour chicken broth (made from combining bouillon and hot water) over the top of the stuffing mixture.
  • Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in 350 degree oven. If top is starting to get too dark for your liking, add a tinfoil tent, but you want the top to crisp up a bit.
  • You can serve it hot straight out of the oven or let it cool a bit for a firmer texture. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*12 slices of any kind of bread will do. This is a great opportunity to use the heels of any sandwich bread you have leftover, or use some slightly stale bread you haven’t had the heart to throw away. I had the following on-hand: 4 slices brioche, 4 slices multi-seed, and 4 slices of sourdough combined from other recipes I was testing and sandwich fixings from the week before.
**We pretty much exclusively use Better Than Bouillon here at Budget Bytes!
I used a 3-quart casserole dish for this recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (about ¾ cup) | Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 31g | Sodium: 1050mg | Fiber: 3g
Overhead close up of sausage stuffing.

how to make Sausage Stuffing – step by step photos

Bread cubes on a baking tray.

Preheat oven to 350f. Cut 12 slices of bread into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray the bread cubes lightly with cooking spray. Bake in 350F oven for 15 minutes until dehydrated and lightly toasted. You should have around 9 ½ cups of bread cubes. Set aside.

Ground sausage cooking in a skillet.

In a large sauté pan, cook 1 lb ground sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks, until browned. Strain excess fat and set cooked sausage off to the side in a bowl.

Diced onion, celery, garlic, and seasonings in a skillet.

Wipe out the sauté pan and melt 1 stick salted butter. Add 1 medium diced onion, 4-5 diced celery stalks, 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 Tbsp poultry seasoning, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.

Cooked mirpoix in a casserole dish.

Cook over medium heat until the onions and celery are glossy and have softened, about 5-8 minutes.

Toasted bread cubes and ground sausage added to cooked mirepoix in a skillet.

Add cooked sausage and a handful of toasted bread cubes to the sauté pan and mix to combine.

A wooden spatula mixing diced apples into sausage stuffing in a casserole dish.

Add more bread cubes until all have been used up. Then, add 1 diced green apple.

Chicken bouillon being poured into sausage stuffing in a casserole dish.

Pour chicken broth (made from combining 3 tsp chicken bouillon and 2 ¾ cups hot water) over the top of the stuffing mixture.

Sausage stuffing in a casserole dish before baking.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in 350F oven. If the top is starting to get too dark for your liking, add a tinfoil tent, but you want the top to crisp up a bit.

Finished sausage stuffing in a casserole dish.

You can serve it hot straight out of the oven or let it cool a bit for a firmer texture. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp fresh parsley just before serving.

Side view of sausage stuffing in a casserole dish.

You won’t believe how easy making this stuffing with sausage is. You’ll never go back to using a store-bought mix again!

More Thanksgiving Sides

The post Sausage Stuffing appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Apple Cranberry Pie

sliced pie with cranberries on the inside on a white plate.This Apple Cranberry Pie combines the perfect fall flavors of apple pie with cranberry. Cranberry Apple Pies are perfect for Thanksgiving – sweet and tart with a flaky pie crust. This pie is filled with the light and delicious fruit flavors of apple and cranberry. Together with my All-Butter Pie crust, it’s the best fall…

sliced pie with cranberries on the inside on a white plate.

This Apple Cranberry Pie combines the perfect fall flavors of apple pie with cranberry. Cranberry Apple Pies are perfect for Thanksgiving – sweet and tart with a flaky pie crust.

sliced pie with cranberries on the inside on a white plate.

This pie is filled with the light and delicious fruit flavors of apple and cranberry. Together with my All-Butter Pie crust, it’s the best fall pie recipe! The top of the pie is a double crust – but yo could also make it with a lattice top or with crumble topping – your choice. Apple Cranberry filling is sweet and tart with notes of orange – perfect served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

ingredients in apple cranberry pie laid out on a white counter.

Ingredients Needed

  • Pie Dough: You can make it homemade or buy a refrigerated pack of two.
  • Apples: Granny Smith and Honey Crisp are my favorite for baking.
  • Orange Juice and Zest: Orange flavors pair so nicely with cranberry.
  • Cornstarch: Helps firm up the center of the pie.
  • Spices: Make a perfectly spiced pie with cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Cranberries: This recipe was tested with fresh cranberries. I don’t recommend dried cranberries – save those for white chocolate cranberry cookies.
process shot of apple cranberry pie being made.
process shot of apple cranberry pie being made.
process shot of apple cranberry pie being made.
process shot of apple cranberry pie being made.

How to make Apple Cranberry Pie

  1. Place crust in your pie pan and decide if you want to do a lattice crust on top, a double crust, or crumble topping.
  2. Peel, core, and slice apples thinly. It’s important to thinly slice them so they cook all the way in the pie. Place apple slices in a large bowl and toss with orange juice.
  3. Whisk sugar with orange zest, cornstarch, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg in a small bowl.
  4. Pour sugar mixture over apples and add cranberries. Toss to combine.
  5. Pour filling into prepared pie dish. It will be piled high.
  6. Top pie with second crust. Trim and crimp edges; cut slits for steam to escape. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar (optional). Place pie on a baking sheet and top with a pie shield (or strips of foil).
  7. Bake pie for 10 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and cook until the crust is light golden and filling is bubbly.
sliced pie with cranberries on the inside in a clear pan.

Storing Pie

Apple pies like this are perfect to make ahead because they need to cool completely and chill before serving. You can make this pie up to 2 days ahead. Wrap well with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the entire cooled pie or freeze leftover slices.

Expert Tips

  • I always bake my pies at a high temperature for 10-15 minutes to avoid a soggy bottom crust.
  • Let the pie cool completely before cutting. It will cut easiest if you chill the pie first.
  • Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
  • Have leftover fresh cranberries? Use them to make cranberry orange punch or cranberry quick bread.

FAQs

Why are my apples not cooked?

Make sure your apples are very thinly sliced and equal in size. That way they’ll break down and all cook evenly and get cooked through – this will avoid a crunchy apple. I prefer slices to chunks for this reason.

Can I use frozen or dried cranberries?

Dried cranberries won’t work in this pie. However, frozen cranberries can be thawed, drained, and added to the apples just like fresh can.

sliced pie with cranberries on the inside on a white plate.
Print

Apple Cranberry Pie Recipe

A classic combination – Apple Cranberry Pie is a cran apple pie with orange flavor in a homemade pie crust – the perfect thanksgiving apple pie recipe.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 12 servings
Calories 234kcal
Author Dorothy Kern
Cost $10

Ingredients

  • 2 recipes pie crust from scratch or a refrigerated pack of 2
  • 4 cups apples peeled and sliced (about 2.5 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch 32g
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 ½ cups (150g) cranberries (see note)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Prepare pie crust as directed (see note). Place one pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate (let the edges hang over). Roll the second pie crust flat to use as a double crust. Set aside while preparing pie.
  • Peel, core, and slice apples thinly. It’s important to thinly slice them so they cook all the way in the pie. Place apple slices in a large bowl and toss with orange juice.
  • Whisk sugar with orange zest, cornstarch, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg in a small bowl.
  • Pour sugar mixture over apples and add cranberries. Toss to combine.
  • Pour filling into prepared pie crust. It will be piled high.
  • Top pie with second crust. Trim and crimp edges; cut slits for steam to escape. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar (optional).
  • Place pie on a cookie sheet and top with a pie shield (or strips of foil).
  • Bake pie for 10 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and cook an additional 40-50 minutes, or until the crust is light golden and filling is bubbly.
  • Cool completely before cutting. It will cut easiest if you chill the pie first. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes

  • Pie Crust: If you use my all butter pie crust, you can make it up to 24 hours ahead. You can either chill the crust before rolling, then roll and put in pie shell when ready to make the pie or you can roll and place one in pie plate and chill both up to 24 hours, but remove from the refrigerator before making filling so it has a few minutes to warm up. If using a store bought refrigerated crust, thaw according to package directions and place in pie plate just before making filling.
  • Apples: I used Granny Smith. You can also use Honeycrisp apples.
  • Cranberries: If you have frozen cranberries, thaw and drain all liquid before adding to the apple mixture.
  • Store pie in the refrigerator, loosely covered. Pie can also be frozen for several months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servings | Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Other Cranberry Recipes

French Apple Cake

It’s interesting how many views of Paris there are, which you notice if you follow the variety of voices that write about life in the City of Lights. (A mistake some writers make is to call it the City of Light, and ‘lights’ in actually plural.) I tend to find all the quirks and report on the sardonic side of things, which for some reason,…

It’s interesting how many views of Paris there are, which you notice if you follow the variety of voices that write about life in the City of Lights. (A mistake some writers make is to call it the City of Light, and ‘lights’ in actually plural.) I tend to find all the quirks and report on the sardonic side of things, which for some reason, always find their way into my life. But the main reason is that I live in Paris full time and don’t just get to sampe my way through the lovely pastry shops and meet chocolatiers, but like most Parisians, I also spend a fair amount of time wrestling with perplexing bureaucracy and other idioms of life in the City of Fight Light.

For example, last week I went to the largest fabric store in Paris where I always buy étamine (cotton gauze), which I couldn’t locate so I asked a salesperson to direct me there. He was having a nice chat with his co-workers but was kind enough to take a moment to tell me “Non”, they didn’t carry it…and went back to his conversation. After I raised an eyebrow and asked a few more times, just be sure, he and all the others in the group shook their heads, confirming with absolute certainty that they definitely did not have that in stock.

Because I was absolutely certain that they did, I went down one level and, of course, found a huge bolt of it right on top of the pile of other rolls of fabric. C’est comme ça…

Having a French partner helps, and he also helps me in the kitchen, like when Romain arrived with a bag of apples from a friend’s farm in Burgundy. Some were dinged up a bit, as they weren’t from the supermarché, but French apples are delicious for baking, where bumps and bruises magically disappear.

So to keep things in perspective (as best I can…) I like to read other voices from Paris, such as Dorie Greenspan, whose book, Around My French Table, is a hefty collection of her favorite recipes and stories about Paris. She lives on the opposite side of the city, in a different neighborhood. And where I am sometimes defeated by city life, as a “part-time Parisian,” as she often calls herself, she manages to see the good in everything.

This is a very typique French recipe for home cooks, made with not a lot of ingredients, relying on no special techniques or hard-to-find equipment, and loved by all. The cake is easily mixed up in a bowl, scraped into a cake pan, and in less than the time it takes to run to the pâtisserie for a store-bought cake—or a seemingly simple length of fabric—you can have an authentic French cake…right from your own oven.

When a journalist interviewed me for an article about her, she ended the interview with; “So David, what is it like to sit around Dorie’s French table?”

I sat there for a few moments scratching my head to remember, then not sure of what to say, I finally replied, “I’ve not sat around Dorie’s French table.” Which was true. When she comes to Paris, we generally go out exploring. The idea of sitting indoors while Paris awaits just isn’t as interesting to me as sharing pastries on a park bench or hitting an outdoor market with her.

If you want to sit at Dorie’s table, the line starts here. However while you wait, you can feast on her recipes, just as I’m doing.

Print

French Apple Cake

Adapted from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan
Dorie doesn’t specify any type of apple but instead advises that you should use a mix of them. I don’t know what kind mine were since Romain brought them to me. The rum is really a great flavor in this cake, but if you’re avoiding alcohol, you could double or triple the vanilla to compensate. I also like this recipe because you can make it with ingredients easily on hand. Being American, I was tempted to add a dusting of ground cinnamon to the apples, but then it wouldn’t be authentically French. Hence I often decide to add a dollop of crème fraîche alongside, but it's wonderful just as it is.
The original recipe uses a springform pan but if you don't have one, you can use an 8-inch (20cm) cake pan, buttering it well and lining the bottom with a circle of parchment paper before adding the batter. I've also make it in a 9-inch (23cm) cake pan and it works well, although it won't be a high.
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 8 cake

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (110g) flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 (about 2 pounds, 1kg) large apples a mix of varieties
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
  • 3 tablespoons dark rum
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 tablespoons (115g) butter salted or unsalted, melted and cooled to room temperature

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.
  • Heavily butter an 8-inch (20cm) springform pan and place it on a baking sheet.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Peel and core the apples, then dice them into 1-inch (3cm) pieces.
  • In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy then whisk in the sugar, then rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, then gently stir in half of the melted butter
  • Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter.
  • Fold in the apple cubes until they’re well-coated with the batter and scrape them into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top a little with a spatula.
  • Bake the cake for 50 minute to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. It may take less time, depending on the apples, so check the cake 5 or so minutes before the recommended baking time. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan and carefully remove the sides of the cake pan, making sure no apples are stuck to it.

Notes

Serving: Serve wedges of the cake just by itself, or with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.
Storage: The cake will keep for up to three days covered. Since the top is very moist, it’s best to store it under a cake dome or overturned bowl.

Related Posts and Recipes

Sauce Gribiche, Au Pif

Tuesdays with Dorie

WTF

French Tart Dough

American Baking Ingredients in Paris

Apple Spice Cake

L’enfer

Apple Jelly

Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

This Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette makes a delicious juicy, crisp salad any time of year, especially throughout the…

Apple Pear Salad Recipe - This Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette makes a delicious salad anytime of year, but especially throughout the holidays. // addapinch.comThis Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette makes a delicious juicy, crisp salad any time of year, especially throughout the…

Apple Crumble

This easy Apple Crumble recipe is a classic for a reason! Full of warmly spiced, caramelized apples and a crunchy, buttery crumble topping.

The post Apple Crumble appeared first on Budget Bytes.

There’s something nostalgic about apple desserts (and there are so many to choose from!), but let me tell you, this recipe for Apple Crumble is the easiest of them all! You can whip it up in a flash and reserve the rest of your time for snuggling on the couch. Crisp, juicy sliced apples are mixed with brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger and baked under a buttery crumble topping. It’s the perfect autumn dessert to warm your heart and fill your belly on a budget!

Overhead view of apple crumble on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

When I was growing up, one of our favorite family traditions was apple picking! My mom would load the whole family into the car, and we would hit the road to Tougas Family Farm (a huge pick-your-own farm in Northborough, MA about an hour west of Boston, with tons of fun things for kids to do). And I’m telling you, no apple tastes as good as one you’ve picked yourself!

You might have noticed my cozy fall recipe posts always mention my family, particularly my mom. My mom is a proud New Englander, and autumn is when she really comes alive! I had the best childhood, and I reflect on it the most during the fall. So, I highly recommend you Google search “pick-your-own apples” in your area, find a farm, and go for it! Then, you have no excuse not to try this easy apple crumble recipe. 😉

What Is Apple Crumble?

Apple crumble is a classic British dessert with layers of sliced apples and a crumble topping made from flour, sugar, and butter. It has all the comforting flavors of apple pie but with much less effort! I make my crumble filling with Granny Smith apples, lemon juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger to create a caramelized and warmly spiced bottom layer. Whether you serve it with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, or whipped cream, just know you’re in for a treat.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe for apple crumble:

  • Salted Butter: Combines with the flour and sugar to create the crumble topping. Use salted butter to balance the sweetness from the sugar, and make sure it’s chilled! Room-temperature butter won’t create the same crumbly texture.
  • All-Purpose Flour: For making the topping.
  • Light Brown Sugar: Adds a rich molasses flavor to the topping and apple filling.
  • Salt: Just a pinch for flavor.
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice or Apple Pie Spice: You can use either spice blend to flavor the topping. Pumpkin pie spice is made from cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Apple pie spice is typically a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice but may also include ginger and/or cardamom. Pick whichever sounds best to you!
  • Granny Smith Apples: I like using Granny Smith apples in my baking because their natural tartness offsets the overpowering sweetness of the sugar. If you don’t usually bake with green apples, give it a try! Be sure to wash them if you’re keeping the skin on.
  • Cornstarch: Thickens the filling and helps create a syrupy texture.
  • Ground Cinnamon & Ginger Powder: You don’t need much (just a teaspoon of each), but they add some fall flavor to the apples.
  • Lemon Juice: Brightens up the filling and keeps the apples from browning.

Can I Use A Different Type of Apple?

I love how Granny Smith apples taste in apple crumble. They’re tart, firm, and hold up well during baking. I’ve also tailored the other ingredients in this recipe to complement their natural flavor. However, if you prefer a sweeter apple or have a different type on hand, feel free to use it! I recommend using a crisp, firm apple that will hold its shape during baking. Some other popular baking apples include Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Braeburn. I recently tried a “Rosalee” apple for the first time this fall (while apple picking in Massachusetts, of course!) and it was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted—another great varietal!

Apple Crumble vs Apple Crisp

Apple crisp and crumble both feature baked apples topped with a crumbly buttery topping. However, apple crisp usually contains oats in the topping, while crumble traditionally doesn’t (although there are many variations of both nowadays!). Other than that, the preparation and baking processes are pretty much the same. They’re both delicious and perfect for fall!

Tips for the Best Crumble Topping

  1. Your butter has to be COLD. I recommend cutting it into small cubes and keeping it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
  2. You want small clumps of butter, sugar, and flour throughout the topping, not a uniform mixture. My step-by-step photos below show what it should look like. Overmixing can create a denser, less crumbly topping.
  3. I always flash-freeze the unbaked crumble topping for 10 minutes before adding it to the apples. This is another trick to make sure the topping stays crumbly and holds its shape. The crumble bakes up light and crisp instead of sinking into the apples.
  4. I’ve kept this recipe traditional with simple, budget-friendly ingredients. However, for a fun twist, you could try adding nuts to your apple crumble topping! Pecans, sliced almonds, or chopped walnuts would all make great additions.

Storage Instructions

Once your crumble has cooled, cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap/foil or transfer it to an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen, and reheat in the oven to re-crisp the topping before serving. The microwave also works if you don’t mind a slightly softer topping.

Overhead view of apple crumble in a rectangular baking dish.
Overhead view of apple crumble on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Print

Apple Crumble Recipe

This easy Apple Crumble recipe is a classic for a reason! Full of warmly spiced, caramelized apples and a crunchy, buttery crumble topping.
Course Dessert
Cuisine English
Total Cost ($7.42 recipe / $0.61 serving)
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12 servings (about ½ a cup each)
Calories 170kcal
Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

Crumble Topping

  • 6 ½ Tbsp salted butter, chilled and diced (½ Tbsp reserved to butter your dish) $0.97
  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour $0.08
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar $0.18
  • ¼ tsp salt $0.01
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice $0.19

Filling

  • 5 medium granny smith apples, cored (about 2 lbs) $5.00
  • ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar $0.18
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch $0.05
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon $0.16
  • 1 tsp ginger powder $0.45
  • ⅛ tsp salt $0.01
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice $0.14

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a baking dish (my dish was 8×10”), set aside for now. Add salted butter, all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice/apple pie spice to a medium size mixing bowl.
  • Firmly mix crumble ingredients together by hand, breaking it up into little pieces, and freeze for 10 minutes.
  • Peel most of your apples (I left the skin on a few apples because I think it’s a nice little color pop) and slice into thin 1/8” slices.
  • Place your sliced apples in a mixing bowl and add light brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger powder, salt, and lemon juice.
  • Toss filling ingredients together and pat down into the baking dish. Then, add frozen crumble on top.
  • Bake for 40-45 min or once the crumble on top turns golden brown.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 126mg | Fiber: 2g
Overhead view of apple crumble in a rectangular baking dish with a portion missing.

how to make Apple Crumble – step by step photos

Cubed butter, flour, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a baking dish with ½ Tbsp salted butter (my dish was 8×10”), set aside for now. Add 6 Tbsp salted butter, ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, ¼ tsp salt, and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice/apple pie spice to a mixing bowl.

Apple crumble topping in a mixing bowl.

Firmly mix crumble ingredients together by hand, breaking it up into little pieces, and freeze for 10 minutes.

Sliced granny smith apples in a mixing bowl.

Peel most of your 5 medium granny smith apples (I left the skin on a few apples because I think it’s a nice little color pop) and slice into thin 1/8” slices.

Sliced granny smith apples in a mixing bowl with sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.

Place your sliced apples in a mixing bowl and add ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger powder, ⅛ tsp salt, and 2 Tbsp lemon juice.

Apple crumble ingredients assembled in a rectangular baking dish.

Toss filling ingredients together and pat down into the baking dish. Then, add frozen crumble on top.

Baked apple crumble in a rectangular baking dish.

Bake for 40-45 min or once the crumble on top turns golden brown.

Overhead view of apple crumble and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a plate with a fork taking some.

This homemade apple crumble recipe has the perfect ratio of crumble to apple filling, and it couldn’t be easier to make!

More Easy Apple Recipes

The post Apple Crumble appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Apple Cake with Toffee Sauce

Pumpkin desserts (pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies) get a lot of attention during the fall months, but let’s not forget about apple desserts. Apple pie, apple crisp, apple cobbler, and this Apple Cake with Toffee Sauce are all DELICIOUS…

Pumpkin desserts (pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies) get a lot of attention during the fall months, but let’s not forget about apple desserts. Apple pie, apple crisp, apple cobbler, and this Apple Cake with Toffee Sauce are all DELICIOUS. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on these apple desserts, especially this cake!…

Easy Apple Dumplings Recipe

A slice of granny smith apple snuggled inside flaky crescent roll with a warm caramel sauce. It’s good y’all.

Photo of white bowl filled with baked apple dumplings topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.A slice of granny smith apple snuggled inside flaky crescent roll with a warm caramel sauce. It's good y'all.