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Brown Butter Apple Crumble is the best fall dessert! It’s loaded with diced pears and apples, brown sugar and fresh ginger topped with a crisp oat topping made with brown butter and walnuts. It’s sweet and buttery and perfect served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Pair it with Pumpkin Chili and Salted Honey Parker House Rolls for an amazing dinner.
Fall baking is my favorite type of baking. This apple crumble is low effort to make but incredibly delicious, similar to this Apple Cheese Danish, Easy Apple Cobbler, and Caramel Pear Pie with Oat Crumble.
Ingredients For Brown Butter Apple Crumble
- Fruit – This is a mix of diced pears and apples. Use Bosc or Bartlett pears and a Granny smith or a Honey Crisp apple.
- Ginger – Freshly minced ginger adds a nice zing and it helps to balance out the sweetness of the filling.
- Flour – Important to thicken up the apple and pears juices so the filling is syrupy instead of runny. It’s also combined with sugar, oat flakes or rolled oats, walnuts and browned butter to make the crumble topping.
- Browned butter – I love to include browned butter in desserts because it adds savory nutty notes and keeps the dessert from tasting too sweet.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How To Make a Brown Butter Apple Crumble
- Make the apple pear filling – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In an 8×8-inch baking dish toss together diced apples, pears, both sugars, flour, ginger, vanilla extract and salt.
- Make the crumble topping – In a medium bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar, oat flakes or rolled oats and walnuts.
- Brown the butter – Add cubed butter to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the butter until it goes from yellow and bubbly to very dark brown in color, it will look burnt but it will taste delicious. Pour the browned butter into the bowl with the flour and oats, stir until your mixture looks clumpy and everything is coated in the butter.
- Pour crumble topping over apple and pear filling.
- Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the crumble is bubbling and golden brown.
- Serve crumble warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Tips and Tricks
- Fruit: I used mostly pears for the crumble, but you can use all apples or use half and half. Another option that would be delicious is to include fresh blueberries to the mix.
- Oat flakes: This is basically rolled oats but larger and flatter. If you can’t find it substitute with old fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking oats.
- Make ahead instructions: You can assemble the crumble then bake it just for serving. It reheats really well in the oven or microwave.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Feel free to experiment with other seasonal fruits like figs or blackberries. If you use berries, just be sure to combine a tablespoon of cornstarch with the mix so that it thickens properly.
Cook the butter until it’s a deep golden brown, but be careful not to let it burn.
Yes, simply use your preferred gluten-free flour for the crumble topping.
You can assemble the crumble ahead and bake it just before serving for the best texture.
Yes, it freezes well. Just reheat in the oven to serve.
More Fall Recipes
Quick and Easy
Apple Pandowdy
Desserts
Easy Apple Cobbler
Dinner
Squash Stuffed Shells
Dinner
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
If you tried this Brown Butter Apple Crumble Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Apple Crumble
Equipment
- 1(8×8-inch) baking dish
- 1 chef knife
- 1 small saucepan
Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 to 4 baking pears, cored and diced
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2- inch knob of fresh ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Crumble Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup oat flakes
- 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, 1 stick, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 8 x 8-inch baking dish (or something equivalent), add the pears, apples, white sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, minced fresh ginger, vanilla extract and salt. Toss until pears are thoroughly coated. Set aside.
- To a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, oat flakes and chopped walnuts.
- In a small saucepan, set over medium-high heat, add the cubed butter. Brown the butter until it goes from yellow and bubbling to a very, very dark brown color. It might appear burnt and it is, but not to worry, it’ll taste delicious. Pour the burnt butter into the medium bowl that’s holding the flour and oat mixture. Using a spoon, mix the mixture until clumpy and everything is coated in butter. Pour the crumble atop the filling and spread it out evenly. Transfer it to the oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crumble is bubbling and the top is golden brown.
- I’m not a super bossy person, but you must, you MUST eat this crumble warm with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Fruit:ย I used mostly pears for the crumble, but you can use all apples or use half and half. Another option that would be delicious is to include fresh blueberries to the mix.
- Oat flakes:ย This is basically rolled oats but larger and flatter. If you canโt find it substitute with old fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking oats.
- Make ahead instructions:ย You can assemble the crumble then bake it just for serving. It reheats really well in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi- Looking forward to making this dessert for a family dinner tonight! ๐ I was wondering what an oat flake is and whether I can just use rolled oats instead. Will that impact the baking time? (side note, I can report back if no one has tried this!)
Rolled oats are totally fine!
Thanks so much, Adrianna! It’s taking me so much willpower not to just eat all of the crumble topping right now ๐
My mom and I made this, but we had trouble with the topping not getting brown. We think there might be a discrepancy/misprint in the recipe concerning what kind of sugar we use. Do we need to use granulated sugar or brown sugar?
both. the recipe calls for granulated white sugar AND brown sugar!
Followed directions exactly, but after 40 minutes in the oven, there was bubbling, but the top was very pale in color. Left it in another 20 minutes, and the topping is still not brown. Any suggestions?
hmm…that’s strange. it’s probably done. maybe it has to do with the butter? not sure. it’s definitely done tho and should still taste good!
Can this be made ahead and re-warmed???
for sure! it’s a great make-ahead recipe. you can either warm it back up in the oven or the microwave. ๐
This was delicious for dessert last night, and perfect with a dollop of greek yogurt for breakfast this morning
Where is the dish from? LOVE
Apple Crumble as a snack and breakfast is the best option. i will love to have it.
Thanks for sharing.
kuddos to you! If it was 100ยฐ here, I’d forgo turning on my oven for sure and eat just the ice cream haha. hopefully you get some for fall-like weather soon!