Irish apple crumble is a delicious dessert made with sweetened apples, covered in a crumbly, oaty and buttery topping. It's usually served smothered in custard.
Have you ever wondered what Irish farmer's like to eat? Pondered over the dishes that make rural Ireland tick. Dreamed of creating a feast fit for a farmer?
Well today we're going to explore a new book where you'll find answers to all these mouth-watering questions, and we'll delve into a big bowl of Irish apple crumble, thanks to Lorna Sixsmith's tried and true family recipe.
To kick off Lorna's book blog tour, I'm delighted to introduce her new book, How To Be A Perfect Farm Wife, with a giveaway for a copy of her rural Irish handbook. Stay tuned for details of how to enter at the end of this post, but first let's learn ....
Table of Contents
How To Be A Perfect Farm Wife
Lorna created this guide for farm wives and girlfriends, husbands and boyfriends, and country lovers everywhere. She answers important questions big and small for rural dwellers like ...
How can you feed eight contractors with ten minutes’ notice?
How can you get along with your mother-in-law (especially if she is an Irish Mammy)?
How do you win awards at agricultural shows?
How do you prepare a chicken for the table?
The answer to these questions may seem trivial to city folk, but for those who dwell on a farm, the answers are often the keys to successful living in the country.
Domestic Goddess
Let's face it - cooking is an important skill for anyone living any distance from a grocery store. And Irish farm wives and husbands have long been able to cook tasty fare in double quick time, using the ingredients in their pantry. Here's what Lorna has to say ...
"Irish farm dinners have a well-deserved and long reputation of being wholesome, nutritious, meaty, large and home-cooked. Traditionally they are plates heaped with slices of meat, multiple scoops of mashed potato and at least two vegetables, all swimming in gravy. Wholesome desserts are smothered with lashings of custard or full cream.
That is exactly what happens on dinner tables around the country most days of the week. Wholesome – yes; nutritious – yes; need to exercise or engage in physical activity to work it off – yes. If you’re thinking that you will put on weight with this lifestyle, you might be right. At least the regular consumption of takeaways and fast food is limited due to the distance from town to farm."
How To Be Self-Sufficient?
Here's Lorna's advice ....
"Our fore-mothers harvested potatoes. They grew carrots, turnips and parsnips. They planted onions, lettuce and broad beans. Some ground their own flour. They baked bread daily and cakes frequently. They had hens for eggs, chickens for the table and cows for milk. They made their own butter and butchered their own pig each year. While they didn’t have much money to buy goods from shops, there was good food on the table. As the proverb says, a cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle."
A perfect farm wife plans the meals for the week before she goes grocery shopping. This reduces waste and ensures she isn’t missing a crucial ingredient in the middle of cooking a meal. The expression “fail to prepare, prepare to fail” is as pertinent for efficient planning of family meals as a business."
Farm Recipes With Preparation Tips And Tricks
If you're searching for recipes to appeal to any busy farmer's palate then this book is wonderful.
Lorna includes her family favorites including shepherd's pie or cottage pie, how to cook a perfect roast with easy to prepare side dishes, and tips for quick, make-ahead desserts.
She even includes a chapter with instructions on how to pack a picnic to feed hungry workers in the field.
Apple Crumble
In America we make fruit crisps and cobblers, but in Ireland crumble is our go-to, easy-to-make comfort dessert.
In fact, crumble may be one of the easiest and most reliable desserts to prepare, with success simply guaranteed. It can be made in advance, stored and cooked when needed.
Adaptation of the basic recipe is a cinch. You can simply use ingredients you have at hand, using whatever fruit is in season. Since fall is upon us I thought I would make Lorna's apple crumble for you today.
In this recipe the ingredients for the crumble mix itself can be varied to your liking. Lorna sometimes uses just plain flour, and at other times adds wholemeal flour and oatmeal. In today's recipe I used a combo of plain flour and oatmeal as the crumble base.
Ingredients for Apple Crumble
Here's a list of what you will need to make apple crumble. You'll find a recipe card with exact quantities where you can toggle between Metric and US measurements.
- all-purpose flour
- oatmeal
- butter
- brown sugar
- Granny Smith apples or 2 large Bramley cooking apples if you're in Ireland or the UK.
- sugar to sweeten apples
I use salted butter purely because it was the only type of butter that was available in Ireland when I was growing up in Dublin.
I confess I never even heard of unsalted butter until I came to America. Unsalted butter is now available in Irish supermarkets.
Some cooks toss the apples in lemon juice to stop them browning, but I skip this step. The key is to make the topping first and then prepare the apples. The dry ingredients are rubbed together and set aside in a medium bowl while the apples are prepared. That way the apples are not left sitting and turning brown before being sealed by the topping.
The best apples for this easy apple crumble recipe are Bramley cooking apples which are very tart and sold all over Ireland for baking. In America I use Granny Smith apples for their tart flavor and bite, and I find they best replicate the apple filling of my childhood apple crumbles.
I add some oats or oatmeal to the dry ingredients. Some people even add chopped nuts and even a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. I omit these additions to make a more traditional Irish apple crumble.
Apple Crumble Recipe Card
Here is the printable recipe for Irish Apple Crumble. You can switch between American and Metric ingredient measurements using the tabs below the ingredient list.
Irish Apple Crumble
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup oatmeal
- 4 ounces butter 1 stick
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 Granny Smith apples or 2 large Bramley cooking apples
- ¼ cup sugar to sweeten apples
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Sift the flour into a large bowl.
- Rub the flour and the butter together with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the brown sugar and oats. Set the crumble aside to prepare the apples.
- Grease a 1.5 quart oven-proof dish.
- Peel and slice the apples.
- Layer the fruit and sugar in the base of the dish.
- Spread the crumble mix over the top. Cook a 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Serve with cream, hot custard or ice cream.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
This dessert is a true taste of Ireland and is delicious served with hot custard.
This can be made using a store bought mix, or it can be made from scratch. Here's my recipe for hot custard sauce.
Other serving ideas include topping a bowl of golden brown apple crumble with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a big dollop of freshly shipped cream.
How To Buy The Book
A quick note: Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using one of these links. The price you pay will not be affected. Thanks so much for supporting my blog ….
If you would like to purchase Lorna's book it's available from her website:
It's also available from Kennys Bookshop in Ireland with free shipping worldwide.
The Giveaway
To enter just leave a comment on this blog post by noon on Wednesday, November 11th, 2015.
Any comment will do. What you write does not affect your chance of winning, but if you need inspiration for your entry why not tell us what dish you would prepare for a hungry farmer.
A winning comment will be chosen randomly. Remember to leave your e-mail so that I can contact you should you win. Your e-mail won’t be published or shared, just used to contact our lucky contestant.
Winners will be announced on Wednesday November 11th, 2015, at the bottom of this blog post.
You may check out Irish American Mom’s complete terms and conditions for sweepstakes entries by clicking here.
A big thank you to Lorna Sixsmith for sponsoring this wonderful prize.
Update Winner Chosen
Good news. Our winner have been chosen using the random “Pick Giveaway Winner” WordPress plug-in.
Congratulations to …..
Maureen O'Hanlon
I’ll send you a quick e-mail, Maureen, to let you know you are our prize winner.
Thanks to everyone who joined in and entered this little giveaway.
And a big thank you to Lorna for sponsoring this wonderful prize and for introducing her new book.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here are some other recipes and ramblings you might enjoy...
Irish Cakes, Cookies And Desserts
- How To Make Delicious Festive Shortbread Star Cookies
- Why We Love A Shamrock Shake
- How To Make Strawberry Mousse From Scratch
- Old Fashioned Easter Biscuits
Books
- Our Irish Heritage - A Kid's Guide to the Irish Diaspora and Irish National Anthem
- An Irish Tour Following in the Footsteps of Saint Brigid
- Did You Know These 7 Authors Were Irish?
- Kelcie Murphy And The Academy For The Unbreakable Arts
Barbara
This is truly an Irish weekday dessert classic and hungry farmers working in the fields especially in Autumn and Spring when sowing and spraying etc need a nice warm dessert. Really it is just a little bit bad for you as the majority of the " fruit crumble" is fruit and that is a great way to get one of your five a day right?
Irish American Mom
Hi Barbara - An Irish weekday dessert classic - that's a wonderful title for apple crumble. It's one of my all-time favorite desserts from my childhood.
All the best,
Mairéad
Maureen O Hanlon
This apple crumble and custard looks so delicious, thank you Mairead for the wonderful recipie, I would love to own the book, nothing like hearty irish recipies. Maureen 🙂
Irish American Mom
Hi Maureen - You really can't beat Irish cooking - good, wholesome food that's simply delicious.
All the best,
Mairéad
Barbara
The crumble looks wonderful especially with the custard topping. I think custard is much tastier than cream.
Irish American Mom
Hi Barbara - I too am a major custard fan - it's the perfect pairing for warm, comforting desserts, especially when the weather starts to get a little nippy.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Mary Sullivan
Crumbles are one of my favorite desserts In Ireland. I am so happy that I can make it at home as I wait for my next trip to Ireland. 🙂
Irish American Mom
Hi Mary - I hope this crumble recipe will revive lovely memories of Ireland and inspire you for planning future trips to the Emerald Isle.
All the best,
Mairéad
Sinita Wilson
I love to cook, and everything Irish fascinates me, so this cookbook would be well used in my home!
Irish American Mom
Hi Sinita - Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out this new book. It's not a dedicated cookbook, but has a few chapters dedicated to cooking and farm home management. The other sections are chock full of tips for successful living in the country.
All the best,
Mairéad
JB Green
Mmmmm...that apple crumble looks delicious!!
Irish American Mom
🙂 🙂 🙂
Lorna
Many thanks for the review Mairead, for trying out the recipe and for writing it all out. Much appreciated and I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Irish American Mom
Thanks Lorna - I really enjoyed your book and thanks for sponsoring the prize for this little giveaway.
Mairéad
Ceceil
Made the Queens best pudding from your post last week.Turner out great. Spent a short while in Dingle in April, would live there in a minute. Thanks for all of the receipts.
C
Irish American Mom
Hi Cecial - I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed my Queen of Puddings recipe. It's another great comfort dessert for cold evenings .
All the best,
Mairéad
Here's the link for anyone wanting to try out a Queen of Puddings ...
https://www.irishamericanmom.com/2014/05/12/queen-of-puddings/
Nancy Flaherty
The book is adorable! Can't wait to get it, and I will be giving several copies to my friends... We all aspire to be the perfect Farm Wife!
Lorna
Thanks Nancy,
I do a 'book bundle' of six books for €55 plus postage if you're thinking of gift buying 🙂 and can sign them etc if you wish. http://www.lornasixsmith.com/shop/
Good luck in the giveaway 🙂
Cheers, Lorna
Irish American Mom
Nancy - thanks so much for checking out Lorna's new book and thank you Lorna for this information on your "book bundle" special.
All the best, and have a lovely weekend.
Mairéad
Erika
I made this with the custard for our Anniversary supper, it was delicious!!
Irish American Mom
Happy Anniversary, Erika. So glad you enjoyed this crumble and custard as a celebratory dessert.
All the best,
Mairéad
Cheryl Barker
My youngest daughter lives in the country now. I would love to win this book and give it to her 🙂
Irish American Mom
Hi Cheryl - I hope your daughter is enjoying life in the country. It's very different to city living, but I often wish I could live on a farm.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Jean MacCoy
I was just talking about Apple Crumble with Custard the other day with friends and had their mouths watering! Will use this recipe to introduce them to it! Thanks for sharing it!
Irish American Mom
Hi Jean - I hope all your friends will enjoy this little taste of Ireland.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Gail Stetson
This reminds me of our Pioneer Woman whom I love. Living in WA, we have wonderful apples for this simple recipe. Can't wait to try it and Lorna's others. Appreciate recipes that don't have too many ingredients
Lorna
I'm the same Gail - keep it simple is my motto. I picked lots of rosehips earlier and am planning on making jam but all the recipes say to deseed them which while I'm sure it would be therapeutic, would take hours so I'm debating whether to experiment with leaving them seeded or making rosehip jelly instead. Decisions decisions 🙂
Irish American Mom
Hi Gail - I love to read the Pioneer Woman's blog, watch her Foodnetwork show and try out her recipes. She has some wonderful TexMex recipes - I grew to really like TexMex food when I lived in Dallas.
Hi Lorna - Best of luck with cooking those rose hips. Let me know how they turn out if you decide not to deseed them.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Mairead
I tried this as a birthday present for my husband tonight and he said that it was "absolutely gorgeous". I wonder what temperature you used? (Any of you who have tried this recipe, do chime in.) I baked at 375F but I see the instructions also say 180C near the bottom, which is 356F. Does that mean I should have turned the oven down after preheating? Also, where in the oven do you put the pan? I had mine on the bottom shelf, but moved it to the top for the last 10 minutes or so.
Irish American Mom
Hi Mairead - Thanks so much for trying out this apple crumble. Glad to hear your husband gave it his seal of approval.
After I read your comment I took a closer look at the two recipe versions I posted and realized I had Celsius and Fahrenheit temperatures all mixed up between the two, so I made some quick edits.
You can bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. You really can't go wrong with apple crumble since there's no raising agent involved and the crumble does not need to rise. For the Irish version of the recipe I suggest 180 degrees which is a little lower. However I find 350 Fahrenheit is just a little too low for cooking the apples, so for the American version I rounded up to 375 degrees. That's probably as clear as mud with all my temperature babbling. Hope it makes sense. I cook mine on the middle rack, when I can. However, if I have a roast in the oven and potatoes I just pop it on whatever shelf is free. You can't really go wrong with a crumble.
I hope you are doing well in your new home and enjoying west coast living.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Lorna
I usually cook it at 180c but may lower it to 170c if the fruit might be sliced a little large and might need a bit longer in the oven. As Mairead said, the exact temperature isn't crucial as it's not like a cake rising. Delighted to hear your husband enjoyed it.
irishnannie
Oh, my! What wonderful contribution to the world, Lorna Sixsmith! Thank you, Mairead* for this wonderful info about apple crumble, and Lorna Sixsmith and her books!
I love to read some of the older writings of Ireland at libraryireland.com. I had read a bit about apples and Ireland around the time of August ending and September beginning. I found that the monks liked to have apples on their table...along with beer and honey! In general the implication seemed to be that "welcoming the stranger" seemed to include having apples on the table! Fun to read that Ballyhooley, in the valley of the Blackwater, gets its name from "ford of the apples!" Last fun fact is that it is thought that apples have been grown in Ireland for at least 3,000 years, and that even our good St. Pat planted apple trees himself!
I love finding out stuff like this, so I thought I would share in case anyone else was interested!
Of course, the bottom line is that apple crumble will be in the plan for Thanksgiving time in my home!
God bless you, Mairead...and Lorna, too!
Lorna
Enjoy your apple crumble, there's nothing like it served with runny custard. Thank you for that historical info, it is fascinating once you start digging isn't it?
Lorna
Many thanks again Mairead for the review. I just got a text from the lady who won the book to say she had received it 🙂
Irish American Mom
That's wonderful, Lorna. So glad Maureen received her book and is probably becoming a perfect farm wife as we speak. Love your book, and thanks so much for introducing it to my readers.
All the best,
Mairéad
irishnannie
Yes, indeed...it is fascinating! And so is your apple crumble, Lorna (again, thanks, Mairead*), and I am sharing your recipe info! Thank you!
Irish American Mom
Hi Annie - Thanks so much for all that wonderful Irish apple history. Our stories from the past are just so interesting. So glad you like this crumble recipe.
Mairéad
Peter
I love the oats in this crumble topping.
Irish American Mom
Hi Peter - Thanks for stopping by and rating this recipe. I'm delighted you like this dessert and especially he oats which add great texture to the crumble.
All the best,
Mairéad