Whole Grain Maple Apple Crumble

Apple crumble and apple crisp are some of my favorite desserts to make with apples. They’re always delicious and take a lot less prep work than a regular apple pie – which means that I make them a lot more often. I like that an apple crumble can be simple, but that it is easy to put a new spin on it by changing up the spices, the sugars, the type of apples and even by adding whole grains to the mix.

This Whole Grain Maple Apple Crumble just might be my new favorite version of apple crumble. The crisp topping has a nice nuttiness to it – thanks both to whole grain flour and oatmeal – and both the topping and the filling have a subtle maple flavor that makes this crumble addictive. It isn’t too sweet and is a great contrast with the tender apples below. I happen to like a generous amount of topping on an apple crumble and this recipe is no exception to that, either! I tossed the apples in my filling (and you can use any kind of apples you like) with both sugar and maple syrup, and used maple sugar in the crumble topping. Maple sugar can be found at many specialty stores and is, at the moment, available at Trader Joe’s. If you don’t have maple sugar, you can substitute brown sugar or add in a half teaspoon of maple extract to give the topping that maple element.

I prefer white whole wheat flour for this crumble because it lends just the right amount of whole wheat nuttiness for me. If you only have regular whole wheat flour, or prefer it, you can absolutely use that in the recipe instead. As a matter of fact, you can also use all purpose flour without changing anything and still get good results – so you can go whole grain or not whole grain and still have an absolutely delicious maple and apple dessert.

Whole Grain Maple Apple Crumble
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal (pref. quick cooking)
1/2 cup maple sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large apples, peeled and cored
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, oatmeal, baking soda, maple sugar, spices and salt until well blended. Add in melted butter and vanilla and stir mixture until moist crumbs form.
Slice apples into wedges, getting 10-12 slices per apple. Place apples in a large bowl and toss with sugar, maple syrup and a pinch of salt.
Transfer apples to prepared pan. Sprinkle crumble mixture evenly over the top of the apple slices.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until apples are tender when pierced with a knife. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8.