This recipe for chocolate chip apple crumble is a delicious twist on a classic British pudding. It ramps things up a bit with a topping studded with chocolate and walnuts. If you don’t like the idea of either of these though, just leave them out. The crumble is made with wholemeal flour for a nutty and slightly healthier dessert.
When I first made this recipe I had a few windfall apples that were in need of eating quickly. And with the weather being rather autumnal, a crumble seemed like a jolly good idea. I’d been toying with the idea of making a crumble using chocolate for some time, but really wasn’t sure about the concept. However, I thought I’d give it a try that time – so I did. I’ve been making it ever since.
Chocolate Chip Apple Crumble Top Tips
- Save time and don’t peel your apples – the skin is super nutritious
- Prepare crumble first so apples don’t go brown
- Wholemeal flour gives a nutty flavour as well as a healthy boost
- For a caramel kick, use demerara sugar – or swap it for golden syrup
- Use your favoured chocolate
- No need to cook apples first – they have plenty of time in the oven to soften
- Delicious served with custard, cream or ice cream
Chocolate Chip Apple Crumble
That first time I made this chocolate chip apple crumble, we were so eager to get stuck in when it came out of the oven, that I forgot to take a picture. It’s a shame, because that first one sure looked good. Despite my initial scepticism, I can confidently report that the addition of chocolate does in fact work and indeed adds to the overall comfort factor.
The crunchy nuts make a good contrast to the soft apple and melting chocolate. The pieces of melted chocolate don’t merge with the whole, but retain their individuality giving intermittent chocolate hits. If you don’t polish it all off in one sitting, it’s still good at room temperature the next day. Different, but still delicious.
Chocolate Chip Apple Crumble: Step-by-Step
Chocolate chip apple crumble is autumn comfort food at its best. It’s an easy pudding to make, especially if you don’t peel the apples. Put it in the oven just before you sit down to your main meal and you’ll have a steaming bowl of goodness all ready for dessert.
Step 1. Chop Chocolate & Walnuts
You can use any type of chocolate you like for this recipe. Milk chocolate goes particularly well with apple, although I tend to stick to dark chocolate. I’ve never tried this choc chip crumble with white.
Chocolate chips are fine, but I prefer chopping a bar of chocolate. You get different sized chunks that way, which makes it more interesting.
So, if you’re using a bar of chocolate, chop it finely, but leave some larger chunks.
Likewise roughly chop the walnuts. You don’t want the pieces to be too small or you won’t get that lovely walnutty crunch. If you don’t like walnuts, just leave them out.
Step 2. Make Crumble
Place the flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Cube the butter and add it to the bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the butter has all but disappeared and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the sugar along with the chopped chocolate and walnuts. Set the bowl aside whilst you get on with preparing the apples.
Step 3. Prepare Apples
The best fruit for apple crumble are Bramley apples or other cooking apples. I’ve used some Cornish cookers from my mother’s garden in the images you can see here. They’re excellent.
As regular readers will know, I like to cook apples with their skin on when I can. Much of the apple’s goodness is in the peel. This chocolate chip apple crumble is perfect for unpeeled apples. But if you don’t like the idea, wash the apples then peel them.
Working quickly so that the apples don’t have a chance to brown too much, quarter, core and slice them fairly thinly. Lay the slices in a lightly buttered medium-sized ovenproof dish.
Scatter the sugar over the apples, or drizzle them with the golden syrup, if using. I like to use demerara sugar best, but I didn’t have any so used golden syrup this time.
Pour the water over the top, then cover with the crumble topping.
Don’t worry if the crumble comes right up to the top of your baking dish. The apples will sink as they cook and the crumble along with it. Press it down with the back of a spoon if needed.
Step 4. Bake Crumble
Bake the crumble in the centre of the oven for thirty five to forty minutes. It needs enough time for the apples to come to cook and the juices bubble up. But not so much that you burn the top.
The crumble is ready when the apples are soft and the top is lightly brown.
Other Classic British Puddings You Might Like
- Eve’s pudding
- Mincemeat meringue pie
- Rhubarb crumble
- Self saucing chocolate pudding
- Snowdon pudding
- Sticky toffee chocolate puddings
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this chocolate chip apple crumble, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Chocolate Chip Apple Crumble. PIN IT.
Chocolate Chip Apple Crumble
Ingredients
- 175 g wholemeal flour (6oz (I use wholemeal spelt flour))
- 60 g unsalted butter (2oz) – cubed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 85 g demerara sugar (3oz) (golden granulated or caster is fine too)
- 50 g chocolate (1½ oz) – finely chopped (I use dark 70%)
- 60 g walnuts (2oz) – roughly chopped
- 800 g cooking apples (4-8, depending on size)
- 50 g demerara sugar or 3 tbsp golden syrup
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub the flour and cinnamon into the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.175 g wholemeal flour, 60 g unsalted butter, 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Stir in the sugar, walnuts and chocolate. Set the bowl aside until needed.85 g demerara sugar, 60 g walnuts, 50 g chocolate
- Set the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Wash the apples then peel them if you feel they need it. Quarter, core and slice them fairly thinly. Lay the slices in a lightly buttered medium-sized ovenproof dish. Work as quickly as you can on this bit so the apples don’t have a chance to brown too much.800 g cooking apples
- Scatter the sugar over the apples, or drizzle them with the golden syrup, if using. Pour the water over the top.50 g demerara sugar, 3 tbsp water
- Cover with the crumble topping. Don’t worry if the crumble comes right up to the top of your baking dish. The apples will sink as they cook and the crumble along with it. You may need to press it down with the back of a spoon to get it all in though.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. You’re looking for a lightly browned top and soft apples. Remove from the oven and give it five minutes to stop cooking before serving.
Choclette says
Thank you Lucie
C- yes I bet chocolate and pear would be really good – intrigued by the apple betty. I know apple charlotte, but betty?
Thank you Sushma
Thanks Dom – I’ve sort of tied myself into this “chocolate in everything” lark.
Thanks Kath – I agree
Johanna – thanks. I did note your chocolate custard crumble and want to try that at some point. Chocolate crumble is a bit of a novelty to me.
Thank you Priya
Thanks Ananda – it was much better than I had anticipated.
Thanks Chele
CityHippy – thanks, will bear that in mind as a possible business opportunity!!!
Celia – Agree autumnal is a great word. Noted from your blog that your spelt must be making it’s way down the sack at quite a speedy rate?
Johanna – I think your plum and vanilla crumble sounds just perfect.
Gillian – you mean I wasn’t the first? 🙁
Indie Tea – that fall time seems to be creeping nearer, so good to get some practice in.
Indie.Tea says
A chocolate crumble? What a great idea. And combining it with apples…thats so perfect for fall.
Gillian says
Nice one Choclette. I have a lady who buys my little bags of chocolate chips (callebaut) with the sole intention of adding them to crumble.
Joanna says
Ah Choclette, that looks divine! We’ve been getting in practice for crumble season with plum and hazelnut with a vanilla pod in the with the plums but maybe a little chocolate in the topping would take it to the next level 🙂
Celia says
Autumnal, what a lovely word! Thank you for yet another thing to do with my big sack of wholemeal spelt – this sounds delicious! 🙂
cityhippyfarmgirl says
Now I love the humble crumble, and jazzing it up with some chocolate has just got to enhance the experience I think. The combination of the nuts, choc and apple is a winner. There is a local company that sells small tubs of something similar, for about $10 a pop.
Ananda Rajashekar says
divine combo! choc in crumble sounds very comfortable and yum!
Chele says
Wonderful idea – can’t wait to have try at this myself!
Priya says
Anything with chocolate is my favourite, crumble looks too fantastic..
Johanna GGG says
I have only tried white chocolate in a berry crumble once and it wasn’t prominent enough! I have tried chocolate custard in crumble and heard of apple crumble with custard so perhaps you could combine these and do apple crumble with chocolate custard???? I think this is a round about way of saying I whole heartedly support your experiments with chocolate in crumble!
Kath says
yum, yummity yum.
Dom at Belleau Kitchen says
wow… looks wonderful ! chocolate in everything seems the way of the year!
Sushma Mallya says
Looks so yum..
Joanna says
Choc, I’ve posted what I think you are looking for in the side bar on my blog – got to go to bed now and I will come back and read your post tomorrow, leave me a note somewhere to let me know if I solved the mystery… love Jo
C says
Glad it turned out well, I’m looking forward to making more crumbles this autumn so must remember to try one with chocolate. I’m thinking chocolate and pear crumble would be good. I have a vague memory of making a chocolate apple betty by Nigel Slater once, which was really good, I must find the recipe again – thanks for the reminder!
Lucie says
Heaven in a bowl! Looks delicious!