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I suppose I’m a little late to the party here but, nonetheless, Happy New Year!

Our little Wren turned one right before 2025 arrived, experiencing his first real dessert—the top half of a muffin with whipped cream—and even taking a few steps the night of his birthday. He loved the muffin, quietly working his way through the portion we’d given him, legs kicking happily under the tray of his high chair. He hasn’t been as excited about the prospect of walking, mainly because he’s developed an ape-like scoot that gets him from A to B extremely quickly. Though babies change so fast that he’ll likely be running by the time I get my next post up.

The holiday season is once again over, bringing with it a slightly deflated feeling but also a sense of relief and a strong desire to purge our house of any extraneous objects (especially given the influx of toys now populating every free space). I did so much less holiday baking than I would like to, as usual; I will simply have to push out my expectations once again. Maybe I’ll have time in five years? Ten? A girl can dream. My energy stores were so depleted that I almost made an apple crumble for Christmas dinner, knowing it would be a hit in the flavor department, but ended up fulfilling my mom’s citrus meringue tart request because it would be a bit more visually exciting (it was) and therefore more appropriate for a holiday celebration.

My sister, Bailey, is the biggest crumble fan I know. She looks at me very sternly if I make a double-crusted apple pie rather than a crumble-topped version, somehow conveying her supreme disappointment with her entire body. Whenever I make a crumble her joy is unparalleled. She recently asked if I had an apple crumble recipe up on the blog, and I was ashamed to admit I did not. I have a peach crumble recipe, which is lovely, but my spice levels are different when I make an apple version, apples being a better canvas for a stronger flavors. Simply substituting apples in that recipe will still give you good results, but it might be a bit lacking in the punchier flavors we’re used to in apple desserts. So here’s my apple crumble recipe, which isn’t so different from the peach version but just different enough to warrant its own star treatment.

An apple crumble is pure comfort; it’s not fancy, and it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s great to bring to a gathering, and the ease of serving makes it a friend to all. Make it ahead and reheat it in a low oven right before serving—though a room-temperature crumble is truly a thing of beauty. Top your serving with a scoop of silky vanilla ice cream or drizzle of cream for full effect. When I made this recently I boldly told Jonji, “This is the best apple crumble I’ve ever made.” If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself.

PSA: if you make a decent amount of apple desserts and/or have a young child, I urge you to get an old-fashioned apple peeler, like this one (and no, I’m not sponsored, sadly). It saves so much time, and your fingers thank you; a peeler to the pointer finger isn’t fun for anyone. Plus, toddlers love to help—it’s a win-win, in my humble opinion.

Apple Crumble

makes one 9×13-inch or 12-inch round crumble

for the crumble topping:
100g (⅔ cup) brown sugar
55g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
200g (1 ⅓ cup) all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
227g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into half-inch cubes

100g (1 cup) oats
40g (½ cup) pecans or walnuts, chopped into pea-sized chunks (optional)
*If you choose not to include nuts, use 140g oats.

for the filling:
3 lbs (about 9 large) apples, peeled and sliced into thin half moons*
55g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla paste or extract
¼ tsp fine sea salt

*The actual amount of apples needed can vary depending on your dish size and, of course, the apples you have. You essentially want your baking dish filled 3/4 of the way up with tightly packed apples before topping with the crumble.

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

To make the crumble topping: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 100g brown sugar, 55g sugar, 200g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 227g cubed butter. Mix on medium speed until everything just starts to clump together (but before it’s one homogenous ball). Pour in 100g oats and 40g chopped pecans (or 140g oats if you’re making it without nuts) and mix briefly until combined. Your mixture should look like a crumble topping at this point, not a cookie dough. (Alternatively, place all dry ingredients to a food processor, add the cubed butter, and turn on until the mixture is clumping together, then stir in oats and pecans by hand.) Chill the crumble topping in the fridge or freezer until firm (you want it firm enough that you can crumble it easily).

In a large bowl, mix 55g sugar, the lemon zest and juice of half a lemon, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp vanilla paste or extract, and ¼ tsp salt. Add the apple slices and stir to coat with the sugar and spice mixture. Scrape the apples into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (or something of similar size). Sprinkle the reserved crumble topping over the apples in as even a layer as possible. Bake in the oven for 40–50 minutes, until the crumble top is golden brown.

Serve warm, with cold cream for drizzling or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!