Are you ready to crummmmbbbbbble?!?!? (apple crumble, that is!)

Heh, heh, see what I did there?  Heh.

It’s apple season in New England, and almost everywhere you look there are apples.  So whether you pick your own from an orchard or from the grocery store, here’s a simple, delicious recipe for Apple Crumble. 

Hardware:

• A large, rectangular baking dish
• A large mixing bowl
• A pastry blender (not an actual blender, look here) ((if you don’t have a pastry blender you can use a large serving fork, but it’s a LOT more work))
• A cutting board
• A knife
• An apple corer (or just use the knife)

 The good stuff:

• 4 to 6 apples, cored and sliced (leave the peels on, that’s where all the awesomeness hides!)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup raw granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter (not melted)  ((real butter, really))

For Apple Crumble you don’t want just any apple.  Stay away from the softer table variety of apples like Golden Delicious or Red Delicious as they will tend to break down and get mushy.  What you want is a firmer, tarter baking apple.  I like Macintosh or Courtland, but you could also use a Granny Smith.

So before you start, take out the butter and let it sit to get to room temp (or slightly soft).   Then set your oven to 350 degrees.

For the apples you want to core them, and then slice so they are a little thinner.  If you peel them first, baby kittens will cry and your mom will be unhappy.  As soon as your done slicing the apples place them in a lightly buttered baking dish.  Mix the water and the lemon juice together then pour over the apples.  Toss a little so that each apple gets the lemon-water treatment, this will keep them from browning will you prepare the crumble.

For this next step I really prefer (and recommend) a clear glass mixing bowl.  This will allow you to lift the bowl to check that all ingredients are properly mixed so that you aren’t left with a schmear of butter and two lumps of flour at the end.  Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt into the bowl and mix well.  Then slice your butter on top of the flour-sugar-etc mix and, using your Pastry Blender (or some forks) begin cutting the butter into the dry mix.  You want to continue doing this until all the butter and dry mix are incorporated together.  Don’t use an electric blender or mixer, you will end up with a paste instead, and it won’t work when you bake it.  In the end you want crumbs of butter and flour-sugar-etc.  Take your butter-flour-sugar-etc crumbs and evenly distribute them on top of your apples.

Bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes, then you can omnomnom to your heart’s content!  Apple Crumble goes really well with ice cream or whipped cream on top, especially if the apple you’re  using is more on the tart side.  Enjoy!

I forgot to take a picture when it was done, but it sure was delicious!  I promise that next time I make this, I'll take a picture of the finished product and post it here :)