Should Apples Be Cooked First When Making Crumble?

Q: Should apples be cooked first when making crumble? A: No. Here’s why…

Whether you are using a crock pot or a traditional oven, the other ingredients will need time to cook, so the apples will have time to cook as well. I think that cooking the apples in the crumble with the rest of the ingredients enhances the flavor as well, the apple juice that comes out in the cooking will be absorbed by, and help cook some of the oats. And the apples cook just beautifully nestled within the oat crumble.

If you want the apples in your crumble to cook faster, try grating them instead of slicing. It provides a nice change in texture if you are just looking for a variation on the traditional apple cinnamon crumble recipe.