Basic Crumble Topping Recipe (2024)

ByCerys ParkerPublished onAugust 12, 2019February 3, 2022

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 mixes 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.

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Ingredients for your Basic Crumble Topping Recipe

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Plain Flour (all purpose) it is really important that you only use plain or all purpose flour we’ve tried with self raising but it really doesn’t work very well. My sister-in-law in the USA when she makes it uses Gold Medal or King Arthur Flour and in the UK I use Allinson

UnsaltedButter Cubed – don’t get it to room temperature for this recipe it really does work best if you have the butter cold. The best butter we have found is Kerry Gold butter.

Caster Sugar or granulated sugar works. You can switch out half the white sugar for a brown sugar as well. We use Silver Spoon and my sister-in-law recommends Domino.

Top Tip for Making the Crumble Mix

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 to see how we used this delicious crumble mix with our very own cooking apples to create an amazing rainy day dessert.

Jump straight to the Crumble Mix Recipe missing out our TOP TIPS FOR MAKING CRUMBLES

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.

We prefer to cook our crumbles in our pyrex dishes, as they are oven proof and freezer proof it really makes it easier to save any leftovers, not that there are leftovers often.

How to Make the Crumble 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.

1. Cube the cold butter.
2. Pour the flour and butter into the food processor.
3. Pulse it to mix to a breadcrumb consistency.
4. Pour into a bowl.
5. 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.

Use this crumble topping to make this delicious Apple Crumble perfect for a Rainy Day Dessert and ideal comfort food.

This mix can be used instead of the brown sugar mix on the Blackberry Crumble Muffins

How to Freeze your Crumble Topping Mix to Use Another Day

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

Strawberry Mousse

Raspberry and Vanilla Cheesecake Bars