Mini Apple Crumbles Recipe

Apple desserts are the perfect option for fall and winter. Apples are usually ready to pick in late summer and early fall, and they come in many affordable varieties, meaning you can usually buy them local, fresh, and at a relatively low price. That's why this mini apple crumbles recipe, brought to you by Mackenzie Burgess, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the brains behind the Cheerful Choices blog, is a fall favorite that every home cook should know how to make.

Her apple crumbles play up the tartness of fresh apples, while toning it down, too, with the natural sweetness of maple syrup. Unlike many other apple dessert recipes, this apple crumble is served in individual ramekins, making it a neat and easy dish to share with guests — or of course, you can scale up the recipe and serve a lot of friends! To top it off, this warm and comforting recipe requires only one bowl for mixing, making it quick and easy for even inexperienced chefs. 

Mashed sat down with Burgess to find out the secrets behind this recipe, so follow along as you learn all the ins and outs to making the perfect farm-fresh fall dessert.

The mini apple crumbles use a fruity base of apples, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Burgess suggests any variety of apples, depending on preference, but notes that she uses honey crisps since they offer a delicate balance of tart and sweet flavors. That said, honey crisps run more expensive than some other apple varieties, so Burgess also suggests saving money by checking out if your local market has a misfit produce section, since the apples are all getting chopped up anyway. For a sweeter dessert, Burgess recommends opting for a red variety, while a more tart dessert can use green apples.

For the crumble, gather oats, pecans, flaxseed, softened coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt. Burgess uses maple syrup as a sweetener because it is vegan, as opposed to a liquid sweetener like honey. It's a hearty sweetener that has a delicious taste.

Since this mini apple crumbles recipe yields four individual servings, Burgess recommends baking the dessert in ceramic ramekins, which will work to cook the apple from below while keeping the top of the crumble nice and crisp. When filling the ramekins with the apple mixture, each ramekin should be about halfway full, leaving room for the crumble, which will go on top. According to Burgess, the moisture in the apples should prevent sticking, so there is no need to grease or butter the ramekins ahead of time, another reason why this dessert option may be healthier than an alternative like an apple pie.

If you do not have individual ramekins for each serving, Burgess says a small glass casserole dish approximately four to eight inches in size will do. Just be sure to keep the ratio of apple to crumble about the same, filling halfway with the apple mixture and leaving space for the crumble mixture to go on top.

In the bowl you already used to mix and then pour out the apple mixture, mix your oat flour, rolled oats, pecans, flaxseed, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt.

According to Burgess, mini apple crumbles traditionally call for a mixture of wheat flour and rolled oats, but she recipe substitutes wheat flour with oat flour, as it is a healthy and naturally gluten-free substitute. If you are using oat flour because of its gluten-free properties, make sure you confirm that the brand of oats you are using did not process their oats in a facility or on machinery that also processes gluten.

The pecans in this recipe can be switched out for any kind of nut, or for nut-free chefs, pumpkin seeds make a delicious, allergy-friendly alternative.

Burgess's recipe also calls for coconut oil rather than butter, because it is vegan and the same texture of butter. Burgess notes that coconut oil's saturated fat keep it solid, and the oil has the same nutrient profile as butter. Solid coconut oil is similar to cold butter in an apple crisp. Because in the winter coconut oil may be hard in the pantry, put it in a bowl and microwave for ten seconds at a time to get an identical texture to softened butter.

The final mini apple crumbles can be eaten as they are or topped off with any topping like whipped cream, sour cream, yogurt, or vanilla ice cream. A number of good oat-based products exist if you don't eat dairy, especially yogurt, and they will maintain the hearty oat theme of the autumnal dessert.

The cool, fatty topping will contrast the sweet warmth of the apple crumble. Additionally, with the yogurt and sour cream option, the topping will add another tart depth of flavor, mimicking the apples down below the surface of the crumble.

Ultimately, this recipe yields four vegan-friendly, individual-sized servings mimicking a classic apple crumble, apple crisp, or apple pie and can be served the same way you might serve any of those desserts.

Feel free to double the recipe if you are feeding more hungry mouths or would like to have leftovers.