We love a crumble in the UK. In the cold months, it’s a comforting bowl of warmth, whether served with custard, ice cream, or cream. It always hits the spot.
As a child, my dad baked this dessert weekly. He alternated it with whatever was in season from the garden. As a mum, I have cooked it for my family for many years.
I wanted to use fruit that was in season in the winter. I chose orchard fruits such as English pears and apples. To this, I added some warming spices such as cinnamon and ginger. For extra crunch, I added nuts to the topping. I’m happy to say it was a hit. I hope you try it and like it too.
Ingredients needed
Pears
I chose a mixture of English pears, such as Red William and Conference pears. You want them to be firm but not hard. That was my choice, but any pears will do.
Apples
I like to use two different varieties of apples, a crisp tart apple, such as a Bramley apple and an eating apple with a soft texture, such as Pink Lady or Royal Gala apples. This provides a combination of textures and flavours. Of course, you can use any apples that you like.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is needed for two reasons. Firstly, it helps stop the fruit from turning brown and also brightens the flavour.
Soft light brown sugar
I prefer this type of sugar in this recipe rather than white sugar. I wanted to create a caramel-flavour sauce. This works perfectly with orchard fruits. For other crumbles, such as berry ones, I would use white sugar.
Cornflour
Cornflour is added just to thicken the sauce
Spices
The spices I use are cinnamon and ginger, the lovely warming ones
Nuts
I add the nuts for two reasons: they add protein to the crumble and also give the topping a lovely crunch and texture. You can use whatever nuts you have available or a mixture of a few. Hazelnuts and walnuts work really well.
Gluten-free oats
Adding oats to a crumble topping is not traditional, but it works so well. It also ups the nutritional value of the dessert. Oats are good for our health, rich in fibre and contain iron, manganese and protein.
Butter
For this recipe, use cold block butter cut into small pieces. This makes it easier to incorporate into the flour without melting or going too soft. I use Flora dairy-free block, but any other will do
Spiced Orchard & walnut crumble
Description
This delicious crumble is a hug in a bowl on a cold winter’s night. Delicious orchard fruits with a crunchy crumble topping.
Ingredients
Filling
The Crumble
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 °C
- Peel and core the apples and pears, and cut them into slices and place them in a large bowl. Squeeze over the lemon and toss through the fruit. Add in the soft brown sugar, cornflour and spices. Toss everything together and tip it into a large baking dish.
- In a large bowl, add the plain flour, oats, caster sugar and spices. Cut the cold butter into cubes and add it to the bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you get the texture of large breadcrumbs. Next, add in the chopped nuts and stir.
- Tip the crumble over the fruit and, using a spoon, push it to the edges to cover the fruit.
- Place the dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the crumble is golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes, and serve.
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