Ultimate Toffee Apple Crumble with Buttery Hazelnut Oat Topping

Experience the quintessential flavors of autumn and winter with this decadent Toffee Apple Crumble. This comforting dessert brings together tender, cinnamon-spiced apples, rich toffee chunks that melt into gooey pockets, and a crunchy, buttery hazelnut oat crumble topping. Baked to golden perfection, it’s a warm, nutty, and irresistibly cozy treat that promises to be a highlight of any meal. Serve it warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, and prepare for a truly memorable dessert experience.

The addition of toasted hazelnuts to the crumble topping provides an exquisite textural contrast, offering a delightful crunch that perfectly complements the soft, caramelized apples and the chewy, caramel-like toffee bits. This creates a complex and rich dessert that is equally suited for an elegant dinner party or a comforting Sunday night indulgence. Its harmonious blend of sweet, tart, and nutty notes makes it a universally beloved dish.

If you’re a fan of comforting fruit desserts, don’t stop here! Explore similar delightful flavor profiles with our Apple and Blueberry Crisp, a seasonal Spiced Pear Cobbler, convenient Apple Crumble Bars, or an elegant Apple Crumble Tart. Each offers a unique spin on classic fruit-based treats.

Why This Toffee Apple Crumble Will Become Your New Favorite

This Toffee Apple Crumble isn’t just another dessert; it’s an experience waiting to happen. Here’s why it deserves a spot in your recipe collection:

• Gooey Toffee Pockets: Prepare your taste buds for an explosion of flavor! As the crumble bakes, the scattered toffee bits melt and caramelize, creating luscious, gooey pockets of rich, buttery caramel throughout the tender apple filling. Every spoonful promises a delightful surprise.
• Effortlessly Simple to Prepare: You don’t need to be a seasoned baker to master this recipe. With no complicated techniques or specialized equipment required, you can whip up this impressive dessert with just a couple of mixing bowls and your own two hands. It’s an accessible recipe that yields professional-tasting results.
• Ideal for Gatherings and Celebrations: Casserole-style desserts are a crowd-pleaser for a reason. They’re straightforward to assemble, bake beautifully in a single dish, and are perfect for feeding a large group. This Toffee Apple Crumble is guaranteed to garner rave reviews at family dinners, holiday parties, or any festive occasion.
• Irresistible Texture Contrast: Beyond the delightful toffee, this crumble shines with its incredible blend of textures. The soft, sweet apples provide a tender base, while the crisp, buttery hazelnut oat topping adds a satisfying crunch that contrasts beautifully. It’s a symphony of textures in every bite.
• Warm, Comforting, and Aromatic: The inviting scent of cinnamon and baked apples will fill your kitchen as this crumble bakes, instantly creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. It’s the ultimate comfort food for cooler weather, evoking feelings of nostalgia and homemade goodness.

Essential Ingredients for a Heavenly Apple Crumble

Crafting the perfect Toffee Apple Crumble begins with selecting high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in achieving the desired balance of flavor and texture:

• Apples: The star of the show! For the best crisp, I recommend a mix of sweet and tart varieties. Granny Smith provides a nice tartness and holds its shape well, while Gala, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady apples offer sweetness and a softer texture. This combination ensures a complex flavor profile and varied texture in every bite.
• Brown Sugar: This is our primary sweetener, lending a rich, molasses-like depth to both the apple filling and the crumble topping. Its moist consistency also contributes to the gooey texture of the cooked apples.
• Cinnamon: The quintessential spice for apple desserts. Ground cinnamon infuses the apples with a warm, aromatic flavor that perfectly complements their natural sweetness and tartness, making the crumble incredibly inviting.
• Toffee Bits: These small, buttery morsels are what truly elevate this crumble. As they bake, they melt into delectable pockets of caramel, adding a rich, chewy, and intensely sweet dimension to the apple filling.
• All-Purpose Flour: Essential for both the filling and the topping. In the apple mixture, it acts as a thickening agent, preventing the apples from becoming watery. In the crumble, it forms the structural base for a perfectly crisp and cohesive topping.
• Rolled Oats: For that classic crumble texture, rolled oats are a must. They add a wonderful chewiness and a hearty, rustic quality to the topping, creating a more satisfying bite compared to just flour.
• Unsalted Butter: The secret to a rich, golden, and truly crumbly topping. Cold, unsalted butter is cut into the dry ingredients, creating pockets of fat that steam during baking, resulting in an incredibly crisp and flavorful crust.
• Hazelnuts: These nuts are a game-changer! Roughly chopped hazelnuts add a fantastic toasted crunch and a distinctive earthy, slightly sweet flavor to the crumble topping. Their robust character pairs beautifully with apples and toffee.

For precise measurements and quantities, please refer to the full recipe card below.

Creative Substitutions & Delicious Variations

One of the joys of baking is the freedom to adapt recipes to your taste or what you have on hand. This Toffee Apple Crumble is incredibly versatile. Here are some ideas to inspire your culinary creativity:

• Nut Alternatives: While hazelnuts add a unique flavor, you can easily swap them for other nuts. Pecans offer a buttery, rich note; almonds provide a delicate crunch; and walnuts bring an earthy, slightly bitter counterpoint. If you have nut allergies or simply prefer not to use nuts, you can omit them entirely without compromising the deliciousness of the crumble.
• Fruit Swaps: Not an apple fan, or just looking for a different seasonal twist? Substitute pears for apples. Pears offer a more subtle sweetness and a slightly softer texture when baked, creating an elegant and nuanced dessert. You could also experiment with a mix of apples and pears for a blend of textures and flavors. For a summer twist, consider peaches or berries.
• Oat Options: If you’re in a hurry and don’t have rolled oats, quick-cooking oats can be used in a pinch. They will result in a slightly finer, less chewy crumble topping, but will still contribute to that desirable crisp texture. Avoid instant oats, as they tend to become mushy.
• Amplify the Spice: Elevate the aromatic profile of your crumble by adding a pinch of other warming spices. Nutmeg, clove, or cardamom can deepen the complexity of the apple filling, offering a more exotic and fragrant experience. A small amount goes a long way!
• Toffee Convenience: Store-bought toffee bits are a fantastic shortcut that saves time and effort without sacrificing flavor. However, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to take your crumble to the next level, try your hand at making homemade toffee pieces. The rich, fresh caramel flavor is truly unmatched.
• Gluten-Free Option: To make this crumble gluten-free, simply substitute the all-purpose flour with a high-quality gluten-free all-purpose baking blend. Ensure your oats are certified gluten-free as well.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Craft the Perfect Toffee Apple Crumble

Creating this irresistible Toffee Apple Crumble is simpler than you might think! Follow these easy steps to bring this cozy dessert to life in your kitchen.

One: Prepare the Apple Filling. Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease a 1.5 qt baking dish (or a 9×9-inch pan or similar size) with unsalted butter, ensuring the bottom and sides are thoroughly coated. Next, peel, core, and cut your apples into roughly 1-inch chunks or 1cm slices, depending on your preference. In a large mixing bowl, toss the apple pieces with the freshly squeezed juice from half a lemon – this prevents browning and adds a bright note. Then, sprinkle over the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon, tossing gently until the apples are evenly coated. Finally, fold in the toffee bits, ensuring they are well distributed. Pour this fragrant apple mixture into your prepared baking dish, spreading it into an even layer.

Two: Create the Buttery Crumble Topping. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, rolled oats, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and kosher salt. Add the room-temperature unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. Using your fingertips or a fork, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pea-sized clumps. Finally, stir in the roughly chopped hazelnuts, distributing them evenly throughout the crumble. The goal is a delightfully crumbly, sandy texture that will bake up perfectly crisp.

Three: Assemble the Crumble. Once your apple filling is spread evenly in the buttered casserole dish, it’s time for the star topping. Take your prepared hazelnut oat crumble mixture and generously sprinkle it over the entire surface of the apples. Gently spread it out with your fingers to ensure even coverage, but be careful not to pack it down too firmly – a light hand allows for a crispier result.

Four: Bake to Golden Perfection. Place the assembled crumble in your preheated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. The baking time can vary slightly depending on your oven and the type of apples used. Look for signs of doneness: the apples should be tender when pierced with a knife, and the hazelnut oat topping should be beautifully golden brown and crisp. If you notice the topping browning too quickly before the apples are cooked through, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly for about 10-15 minutes before serving. This brief resting period allows the filling to set and the flavors to meld. Serve warm with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream!

Expert Tips for Crumble Perfection

Achieving a truly exceptional Toffee Apple Crumble is within reach with these expert tips:

• Embrace a Variety of Apples: Don’t stick to just one type of apple. Using a mix of tart (like Granny Smith) and sweet (like Gala or Honeycrisp) apples provides a more complex flavor profile and ensures a varied, pleasing texture in the filling. The different apples break down at slightly different rates, adding depth.
• Consistency in Apple Chunks: To ensure your apples cook evenly and reach that perfect tender consistency at the same time, make sure to cut them into uniform 1-inch pieces. Irregularly sized pieces will result in some being mushy while others are still firm.
• Prevent Over-Browning: If you notice your beautiful hazelnut oat topping browning too quickly before the apples have had a chance to soften, don’t fret! Simply tent the baking dish loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. This will protect the topping from burning while allowing the apples underneath to continue baking undisturbed.
• The Art of Doneness: The apples will continue to soften slightly even after the crumble is removed from the oven as it cools. For the best texture, aim to remove the crumble from the oven when the apples are tender but still hold a slight firmness, not mushy.
• Test for Tenderness: To accurately check if the apples are done, insert a sharp, thin knife into the apple portion of the crumble. It should slide in and out with very little resistance. If you feel a crunch or significant firmness, it needs more time in the oven.
• Room Temperature Butter for Topping: While some crumble recipes call for cold butter, using room temperature butter for the topping in this recipe helps create a more cohesive, yet still crumbly, texture that melts beautifully and browns evenly.
• Don’t Overmix the Topping: Mix the crumble topping ingredients just until combined and crumbly. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to a tough rather than crisp topping.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Storage and Reheating Tips

Proper storage ensures your Toffee Apple Crumble stays fresh and delicious for days. Store any leftover crumble covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can warm individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until heated through. For a crispier topping and more even warmth, reheat the entire crumble (or larger portions) in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10-15 minutes, or until bubbling and warm in the center.

More Cozy Fall Recipes You’ll Love

If you enjoyed this comforting Toffee Apple Crumble, you’ll surely adore these other seasonal favorites, perfect for embracing the cooler months and all their delicious bounty:

Important Notes When Baking with The Cozy Plum

• All recipes from The Cozy Plum are developed using Diamond Crystal kosher salt. This is the least salty variety of kosher salt. If you are using Morton’s kosher salt, you will need to reduce the amount by half, as it is twice as salty. The same applies to sea salt. Please avoid using fine table salt, as it has a much more intense salinity.
• For the most accurate and consistent results in baking, we highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale and measuring ingredients by weight. While conversions to cups are sometimes provided, baking by weight is always superior for precision.
• This recipe is designed for 16 servings. If you wish to adjust the yield, you can easily scale the ingredient quantities. Please note that while quantities can be multiplied, baking times may require slight adjustments depending on the new volume and size of your baking dish.

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Hazelnut and Toffee Apple Crumble

By Callan Wenner

This toffee apple crumble is the ultimate fall and winter dessert made with juicy cinnamon-spiced apples and toffee chunks baked until caramelized and tender, topped with a buttery hazelnut oat crumble topping. It’s cozy, nutty, and perfect for serving warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.