The fruit
Peel and cut the apples, then cook them down gently to concentrate the flavor. Fragrant apples, neither too mealy nor too tart, give a clean base that holds up under the topping.
homemade & crunchy recipe
The apple crumble, explained step by step
Apple crumble recipe
3 rue Pierre Fontaine · Pigalle / Blanche / Saint-Georges
Looking for an apple crumble recipe you can nail every time? Here we break down the ingredients, the steps and the tips behind this great classic, then explain how to enjoy it homemade at Crumbles, the first crumble bar in Paris, in the heart of the 9th arrondissement.
the great classic
A comforting dessert
The apple crumble recipe, plain and simple
The apple crumble is probably the best known of all crumble recipes. This dessert pairs soft apples with a crumbly shortcrust topping, baked golden until crisp. To understand where it comes from, we trace the origin of the crumble, born in English cooking before reaching Paris. Few ingredients, an easy method and a real contrast of textures: that's what explains its success.
It’s this balance that makes a good recipe work: fruit cooked just right, and a topping that’s neither too rich nor too sweet. At Crumbles, the first bar entirely devoted to crumble in Paris, that spirit lives on in a made-to-order approach, where the apple serves as the base for personalized pairings rather than a fixed recipe.
The starting point
French, seasonal fruit
A good apple crumble starts with the quality of the fruit. Fragrant apples make a clear-tasting compote that holds up under the topping. At Crumbles, the fruit is French and seasonal, the flour organic and from Île-de-France: local sourcing that lets you recognize the fruit rather than mask it under sugar.
seasonal applesorganic Île-de-France flourbutter & sugar, nothing more
Step by step
Nailing your apple crumble recipe
The shortcrust topping
Rub the flour into the cold butter and sugar with your fingertips, without overworking, until you reach a coarse texture. It’s the cold butter that guarantees a topping that crunches once it’s in the oven.
The bake
Spread the topping in a generous layer over the fruit, then bake until the top is golden. Serve warm: the contrast between the soft fruit and the crisp topping stays at its peak.
Three tips make all the difference: work the cold butter for a topping that crunches, don’t over-sweeten the compote to keep the fruit’s acidity, and serve the crumble warm.
Oven benchmarks
Apple crumble baking time and temperature
The four benchmarks we apply at the counter, from the pan to the plate.
5 to 10 min
Pre-cook the apples
In a pan with a spoon of sugar, until the apples release their water. Reduce that juice over high heat, and add the juice of half a lemon to keep some acidity.
180°C
Fan-forced oven
The ideal temperature to brown the topping without burning it. Without a fan mode, raise it to 190-200°C and place the dish in the top third of the oven.
25 to 35 min
Baking time
For a medium dish. Allow 20 to 22 minutes for individual ramekins, 35 to 40 minutes for a large dish, covered with foil after 25 minutes.
8 to 10 min
Rest before serving
The crumble is done when the top is golden and the juice bubbles at the edges. Serve it warm, 8 to 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven.
To go further on the topping, acidity and storage, read our five secrets of a perfect crumble or discover our made-to-order apple crumble.
Without setting foot in the kitchen
The homemade apple crumble, yours to build at Crumbles
Rather than following a single recipe, Crumbles lets you build your own. The modular system is based on four steps, giving rise to more than a hundred possible combinations, from €6.50, each assembled to order before your eyes.
- step 1The fruit
- step 2The base
- step 3The toppings
- step 4The crumblings
It all starts from homemade bases: the compote is cooked to order, the shortcrust pastry worked by hand and the custard churned every morning. Around the apple, you dial the intensity up or down, from the simplest to the most indulgent.
100% homemade
A Tanat coffee to round off the apple
The menu is built around the specialty coffee of Paris roaster Tanat, rounded out by homemade lattes and soft drinks. A well-crafted coffee pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the apple and the crunch of the topping, for a truly indulgent break. On the chocolate side, the house works with PLAQ.
Where to enjoy it, in Paris
Head to South Pigalle, better known as SoPi. Crumbles sits at 3 rue Pierre Fontaine, in the 9th, a few minutes’ walk from the Pigalle, Blanche and Saint-Georges metro stations. On site or takeaway, the address is made for an indulgent stop between Montmartre and Saint-Georges.
frequently asked questions
Everything about the apple crumble recipe
- What are the ingredients in an apple crumble recipe?
- A classic apple crumble recipe calls for apples, flour, butter and sugar. The apples form the fruity base, while the flour, butter and sugar, rubbed together, make up the crumbly topping that crisps in the oven. The quality of the fruit and the freshness of the ingredients make all the difference to the final result.
- How do you get the shortcrust topping of an apple crumble right?
- The secret to a great crumble topping comes down to cold butter, rubbed in with your fingertips together with the flour and sugar until you reach a coarse texture, without overworking it. You spread it in a generous layer over the apples, then bake until the top is nicely golden. That’s what guarantees the contrast between the crisp and the soft.
- How long should you bake an apple crumble?
- Allow 25 to 35 minutes at 180°C fan-forced for a medium dish, 20 to 22 minutes for individual ramekins and 35 to 40 minutes for a large dish, covering it with foil after 25 minutes. The crumble is ready when the top is evenly golden and the apple juice bubbles at the edges.
- Where can you enjoy a homemade apple crumble in Paris?
- At Crumbles, the first crumble bar in Paris, at 3 rue Pierre Fontaine in the 9th arrondissement, between the Pigalle, Blanche and Saint-Georges metro stations. The modular building system lets you put together a crumble around the apple, made to order, on site or takeaway, in the atmosphere of a neighborhood coffee shop.
- Is the apple crumble at Crumbles really homemade?
- Yes. At Crumbles, everything is homemade: the compote is cooked to order, the shortcrust pastry worked by hand and the custard churned every morning. The fruit is French and seasonal, the flour organic and from Île-de-France, for a crumble assembled fresh at the counter rather than prepared in advance.
- Can you customize your apple crumble at Crumbles?
- Yes. Building one follows four steps: you choose your fruit, your base, your toppings and then your crumblings. Around the apple, this modular logic opens up more than a hundred possible combinations, from €6.50, with each crumble assembled to order right before your eyes.