There are few desserts as easy and comforting as a warm apple crumble. With minimal effort you get a fragrant, gently spiced fruit filling topped with a golden, crunchy crumble — perfect with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream. This version folds broken ginger biscuits into the topping for extra texture and spice, and a handful of walnuts for toasty depth. If you have some firm autumn apples on hand, this is a wonderfully forgiving recipe to make.
I already have a classic apple crumble here, but I wanted to use up a surplus of store-bought ginger biscuits and discovered that breaking them into the crumble topping adds brilliant flavour and a satisfying crunch. I normally add a touch of ground ginger to my apple filling, so the biscuits felt like a natural enhancement. The ginger biscuits soften slightly as they bake while still keeping a pleasing texture in the topping.
The apple layer is simply seasoned with cinnamon and a little sugar to coax out juicy flavour while keeping the fruit tender, not mushy. The crumble is made with brown sugar and cold butter rubbed into flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then toasted walnuts and broken ginger biscuits are folded in. Baked until the topping is deeply browned and the apples are bubbling, this dessert is best served warm with ice cream, though leftovers are still lovely for breakfast.
I like to let the topping get extra toasty — even if the biscuits darken a little, they won’t become rock hard. As the crumble bakes the walnuts release a toasty aroma and the cinnamon and ginger come through in every bite. The recipe is very adaptable: swap in different nuts, throw in dried fruit like raisins or cranberries, or adjust the spices to your taste. You can scale the quantities to fit a larger or smaller dish without much fuss.
This recipe is quick enough for a weeknight treat yet impressive enough for guests. The contrast between soft, warmly spiced apples and a crunchy, buttery topping studded with ginger biscuit pieces is irresistible. I hope you give it a try today.
Apple Ginger Biscuit Crumble
Ingredients
For the apples
- 5 red apples, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/8 tsp ginger powder
- 2 to 3 tbsps caster sugar, depending on sweetness of apples
For the crumble topping
- 3/4th cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tbsps brown sugar
- Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
- 60 gms cold butter, cut into cubes
- 75 gms ginger biscuits, broken into small pieces (about 10 biscuits)
- 3 tbsps chopped walnuts
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). In an 8-inch round baking dish, or a similarly sized square dish, toss the chopped apples with the cinnamon, ginger and caster sugar. Let the apples sit for a few minutes so they begin to release their juices; cutting the apple pieces smaller will help them cook through while still holding a little texture.
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To make the crumble topping, combine the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and a pinch of salt (if your butter is unsalted) in a bowl. Add the cold cubed butter.
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Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the broken ginger biscuit pieces and the chopped walnuts. If the mixture feels soft or sticky, chill it for 10–15 minutes to firm up the butter — cold butter yields a flakier, crisper topping.
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Spread the crumble evenly over the apples, ensuring the fruit is well covered. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the top starts to brown. Tent with foil and bake another 20 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. If the topping needs more colour, remove the foil and increase the oven to 200°C for a few minutes, watching closely to avoid burning.
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Let the crumble rest uncovered for about 10 minutes before serving. Spoon generous portions into bowls and top with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche. The crumble is best enjoyed fresh, though you can store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3–4 days and reheat before serving.
Notes
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