On Friday night there is to be a birthday dinner for the birthday siblings. In New Zealand. In the summer. Too far for Mama to catch a cab from the U.S. prairies. Sadly. Senior Son has been working on creating a Mama Meal from The Kitchen’s Garden Pages. Then it was discovered, with eyes rolling in horror, that I have not posted the Apple Crumble and an emergency call was put through.
So very quickly yesterday afternoon, I gathered the last of the apples, made the crumble, and wrote down the recipe. This is harder to do than you think, when you have made the crumble your entire life by just heaving it all together and stirring. Now if you are invited to the dinner on Friday – close your eyes.
The Crumble
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 big tablespoon bran
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 oz cold butter
- zest of half a lemon
Grate the very cold butter into the dry ingredients, (grate and stir, grate and stir, etc) zest the lemon in and mix with your fingers until it is crumbly. It needs to look like chunky breadcrumbs.
Grease your widemouthed jars (this will work in a baking dish just as well). Pack with sliced Granny Smith Apples (or any other tart apples) until the jars are about two thirds full. Do not add sugar to your apples, leave the tart taste alone. Top with about 1/2 inch of the crumble. Sit your jars on a baking sheet in the oven for 45 minutes at 350F.. (about 160C I think.) Be careful when you take them out of the oven. They are hot and awkward. Don’t serve too hot. 
I made these as individual servings in wide-mouthed Bell canning jars (Agee bottling jars in NZ) . The pictures are of UnDressed Only-Just-Cooked Apple Crumble as I did not want to lose the light for a photo. These can be made ahead of time, (to the above stage) then warmed on low. Just before serving, create layers of colour in the jar. Maybe you could add a thin layer of whole blueberries or raspberries, then a small ball of icecream and a wee curl of lemon. Your sister will help with this. Jab a shiny spoon into the dessert and serve quickly so that the crumble stays crispy.
I hope you can find the pint sized wide mouthed jars! If not you can make these in individual ramekins.
If you have a few desserts left over, screw the lids onto the jars, pop in the fridge and take them for a pernick-nick (home talk for picnic) down at the beach on the weekend. Apple crumble is just as good cold!
Can you see Mary’s Cat lurking in the back of this shot? He is thrilled that I am taking photographs of food outside again!
Today we are forecast to reach 50F. All the baby plants have been watered gently with the hand rose in the shower, and are waiting to go outside as soon as it hits 40F. Hopefully we do not get too much wind. The big doors have been opened in the chook house, as well as the barn, so everyone is feeling springy and the chooks are laying like mad with all that extra light! Maybe I should make a pavlova and have a birthday celebration too!
Dawn has come. Good morning!
celi
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
82 responses to “Undressed Apple Crumble in a Jar”
I read the instructions carefully but I’m sorry, but I can’t make this recipe. I don’t have a sister to help with the step of adding color to the jar. Will the recipe work if I do all the steps myself?
Ronnie
PS I hope you know that this is not a serious question, just a bit of Ronnie-style sarcasm/irony/silly humor.
i love your humour ronnie!! c
Oh yum, haven’t had apple crumble in ages.
I think you have a recipe on your site too? i must look it up and see what you do.. c
Hmm, not for a crumble. Peach crumble bars, apple cake, some cobblers…Must remedy.
Yes, I think you should make a Pavlova! The best one I’ve ever tasted was in Hong Kong, believe it or not, at a little restaurant called Lucy’s. It had pink peppercorns in it. Such a wonderful surprise to see those little pink jewels in there. And speaking of apples, I just sorted through mine that are stored in the shed, and they’re holding up brilliantly. A few are a bit soft, so I’ll make applesauce from those today.
oo your apples have done well, i long for my little trees to start bearing, another few years yet i think.. c pavlova and peppercorns! wow.. c
I love dessert and breakfast in jars… especially this one, I think I should keep several jars in my fridge for breakfast every day.. yummy, I love it when you cook, c! xoxo
Thank you Smidge, I have always described myself as a farm cook!
In a jar. I would never have thought to do that. Nice presentation idea.
The jar is so cool! they take the heat really well! c
One of my all time favouritie desserts and I love cold crumble too! Such a shame you won´t be with them in body, but I am sure you will be “in spirit”!
I know tanya, but I will be over there at the end of the year and we will have heaps of nosh ups!! c
In a jar! Ha ha! I wasn’t sure where you were going with this recipe. At first I thought you were going to seal them all up in your pressure cooker and ship these off to New Zealand for the birthday party, the whole time thinking, “it’ll never get there by Friday!” I love the concept, especially the portability option! Brilliant, as usual Cecilia!
The jars we can buy in the US are so good for this, isn’t the internet amazing, i can cook it, photograph it and have it posted in time for them to make it over there for friday! c
Oh no! I don’t have any jars like that! I do hope they taste as good in ramekins as that is the best I can do! 😉
What a pity there isn’t a cab to take you across the water for the celebrations.
🙂 Mandy
It is great in ramekins or one big bowl of it! morning mandy! c
I’m with Smidge – one should always make extras to eat for breakfast!
Lovely and simple…always a favorite combination!
Toddlers love apple crumble too!! c
As soon as I began reading this I became excited to do this for a picnic….and then you mentioned it! Well in your own way, of course….pernick nick 🙂 Isn’t it so great to be able to share our family recipes with our children – photos, directions and all in this way!!
the whole jar thing is such a great idea that is going round.. I am going to be doing it more.. c
I love that they called you for the recipe! Doesn’t matter how old kids are, Mom is still Mom!!!!
Just the way it should be!
Yummmmmmmmmmm!!!! My son just calls me to send him baked goods LOL t
Aww.. c
What a great recipe! Cant wait to try it!
Jim and Mary
Let’s see if this will work this time. Having DSL probs. Yuck!
Sorry you can’t be there for the birthday but this apple crumb sounds wonderful, a favorite of mine. Love that you don’t add sugar. Why cook with tart apples if you’re going to add cups of sugar? Your weather is 10 degrees better than ours today. Looks like more of the same for the rest f the week. Spring will get here …
Thank goodness you have your tech difficulties worked out.. It is still cloudy here but i can feel the warm coming and i can HEAR the spring birds beginning, no robins yet! c
I believe that in Minnesota we call this “Apple Crisp.” But I’d never considered baking it in jars. Love the idea. I’ll try it next fall when apples are plentiful.