A sweet, fruity, crisp and chewy recipe for blackberry and apple crumble bars. An autumnal delight made with wholemeal flour and oats for a slightly healthier take on the classic crumble bar. They’re super delicious and ever so easy to make.
Blackberries are one of the high points of autumn. This year seems to have been particularly abundant and I’ve been picking wild blackberries for weeks now. But don’t fret if you can’t find any to forage for yourself. You can buy cultivated blackberries quite easily these days and frozen ones will also work.
Blackberry and Apple Crumble Bars
These blackberry and apple crumble bars are super delicious and ever so easy to make. Just think blackberry and apple crumble in an enhanced bar form. The crumble topping is wonderfully crisp, the fruit lightly spiced and the base chewy.
The base layer and crumble topping are spiced with cinnamon. The spices are quite subtle, but they really enhance the apple and blackberry flavours.
Despite the sugar, these bars are quite wholesome with lots of nutritious apples and blackberries. As well as oats, they’re also made with wholemeal flour. I use wholemeal spelt flour, as it’s my favourite for baking.
The crisp topping softens once stored, but these bars remain wonderfully good to eat. However, if you like the idea of serving these blackberry and apple crumble bars warm as a dessert, just spoon the mixture into bowls straight from the oven and serve with cream or custard.
Whilst I normally bake these bars in a conventional oven, I baked the ones you can see here in my new air fryer. They’re just as good, in fact the crumble topping is even crisper.
Blackberry and Apple Crumble Bars: Step-by-Step
It’s a good idea to make the base and topping first. If you do it the other way around, the fruit has a chance to emit its juices and thus make the bars a bit soggy.
Step 1. Make The Base And Topping
This part of the process is really quick and easy to execute. First off you need to melt some butter in a pan over a low heat. Once this is done place the flour, oats, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Pour in the butter and stir with a fork or wooden spoon until everything is well mixed.
Remove roughly one third of the mixture and place in another bowl. Set aside. This will be the crumble topping.
Break the egg into the remaining two thirds and stir with a fork or wooden spoon until everything is well combined. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look like dough, the mixture is meant to be crumbly at this point.
Step 2. Prepare The Fruit
Wash the blackberries in a bowl of cold water, then place in a sieve or colander to drain.
Peel and core the apples, then chop them into roughly one centimetre chunks (a bit less than half an inch). Place them in a medium sized mixing bowl and add the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice immediately. Give a good stir so that the fruit is coated. This should prevent them going brown.
Top Tips
Make sure the blackberries are well drained before adding to the apples. You don’t want too much wet in the filling. The blackberries are plenty juicy enough.
Prepare the apples one at a time, so that you can coat the pieces in vinegar or lemon juice as soon as possible. They will go brown if left exposed to the air for long.
Step 3. Make The Filling
Tip the blackberries into the bowl of apples, then add the sugar.
Add the arrowroot and ground cloves then stir carefully so as not to break up the blackberries. Stir until everything is just about mixed.
Top Tips
Arrowroot is a gluten-free thickening agent and does much the same thing as cornflour. But here’s the thing. It’s actively good for you (ref: healthline). You can, however, swap it for cornflour if you like.
Use a large metal spoon to stir everything together. Try for a folding action rather than a chopping one. This is less likely to break up the blackberries.
Step 4. Assemble The Traybake
Lightly grease a twenty centimetre (eight inch) square silicone cake mould. Alternatively line the same sized metal cake tin with baking or parchment paper.
Tip the larger bowl of eggy crumble into the bottom of the baking pan. Press it down with the back of a spoon until it’s firm and in an even layer.
Spoon the filling, along with any juices, over the bottom layer. Try to make this as even a layer as possible.
Lastly scatter the non-eggy crumble over the top.
Top Tip
If you use a silicone mould, as I do, you’ll need to place it on a baking sheet before you start the assembly. If you try moving it on its own, the bottom layer is likely to break up.
Step 5. Bake The Crumble Bars
Place the traybake on the middle shelf of your preheated oven and bake for thirty five minutes. The fruit should be cooked and the top crisp and golden. If it’s not quite ready, pop it back in for a further five minutes.
Place the baking pan on a wire rack to cool. Allow the bake to cool completely before cutting into bars. If you attempt to cut them whilst still warm, they’re likely to break up.
Storage Top Tips
These blackberry and apple crumble bars keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for five days. The topping will, however, no longer be crisp. But don’t let that put you off, the bars are still really delicious.
When it comes to freezing, you can do that too. Bake, cook, cut into bars, place into a suitable container and freeze. They’ll keep well for a couple of months.
What Are The Best Apples To Use To Make Blackberry and Apple Crumble Bars?
What type of apples you use very much depends on whether you want them to stay firm or go soft. As the crumble bars are quite sweet, it’s best to go with tart apples if you can. Cooking apples, such as Bramleys, will go soft and form a sort of purée. Green dessert apples, like Granny Smiths, will keep their shape.
As I’m a frugal soul, I tend to use windfall apples at this time of year. But it’s a bit of a potluck. They could be cookers or dessert apples and either tart or sweet.
Switch Things Around
Although it’s hard to imagine these blackberry and apple crumble bars could be even better, variety is the spice of life. Or so they say.
Make Them Vegan
Use coconut oil instead of butter. Then omit the egg and just pack down the bottom layer very tightly with the back of a spoon.
Hedgerow Crumble Bars
Add a few chopped hazelnuts to the crumble topping for an even more delicious autumn treat. If you’re lucky, you can find blackberries, apples and hazelnuts in the hedgerows at more or less the same time.
Blackberry Crumble Bars
Use an additional 150g of blackberries and omit the apples. Swap the cinnamon for the grated zest of a lemon.
Apple Crumble Bars
For apple crumble bars, use 350g of chopped apples and no blackberries.
Spice Them Up
The cinnamon and clove spices are quite subtle in these blackberry and apple crumble bars. I wanted the fruit to shine and the spices to enhance rather than dominate. But if you really like cinnamon, by all means add an extra quarter or even a half teaspoon to the mix.
By way of a change, you could swap the cinnamon for British mixed spice or American pumpkin pie spice. And nutmeg works well in the fruit mix, so you could use that instead of cloves.
Don’t Like Oats?
Omit the oats and go with 125g more of wholemeal flour. Alternatively, make the bars with 250g of wholemeal flour and 50g of ground hazelnuts. I haven’t done this yet, but I’m planning to.
Other Blackberry & Apple Recipes You Might Like
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these blackberry and apple crumble bars, 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
Blackberry and Apple Crumble Bars. PIN IT.
Blackberry and Apple Crumble Bars – The Recipe
Blackberry and Apple Crumble Bars
Ingredients
Base & Topping
- 175 g wholemeal flour (I use wholemeal spelt flour)
- 125 g rolled oats (porridge oats)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch sea salt (I use Himalayan pink rock salt)
- 100 g light brown sugar (I use muscovado)
- 100 g unsalted butter melted
- 1 medium egg
Filling
- 2 apples giving roughly 150g of peeled and cored flesh
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (can use lemon juice instead)
- 200 g blackberries washed and drained
- 50 g golden granulated sugar (caster is fine)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot (can substitute with cornflour)
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
Instructions
Base & Topping
- Set the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together, except for the egg.175 g wholemeal flour, 125 g rolled oats (porridge oats), ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 pinch sea salt, 100 g light brown sugar, 100 g unsalted butter, ½ tsp baking powder
- Remove about a third of the mixture and set aside.
- Add the egg to the remaining two thirds and stir until it’s well combined.1 medium egg
- Press the mixture into a 20 cm square silicone mould or lined cake pan. Use the back of a spoon to make it as firm as possible.
- Tip the filling onto the base and spread out as evenly as you can.
- Scatter the crumble mixture you set aside earlier over the top.
- Bake for 35 minutes, by which time the fruit should be cooked and the topping crisp and golden. If it doesn't look quite ready, give it another five minutes in the oven.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely, before cutting into twelve bars.
Filling
- Chop the apples into roughly 1 cm chunks (slightly less than ½ an inch).2 apples
- Place them in a medium sized bowl and add the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Give a good stir, so the apples are coated. This will prevent browning.1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Tip in the blackberries, followed by the sugar.200 g blackberries, 50 g golden granulated sugar
- Add the arrowroot and ground cloves and stir carefully so as not to break up the blackberries until everything is just about mixed.1 tbsp arrowroot, ⅛ tsp ground cloves
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for blackberry and apple crumble bars with Carrie’s Kitchen for #CookBlogShare.
Natalie says
What a delicious seasonal treat. I absolutely love the texture and flavors. I have to make this while blackberries are still in season. Thanks!
Choclette says
Thank you Natalie. They’re delicious and well worth making. We’ve still got quite a few blackberries around us. Good luck with finding some in your neck of the woods.
Michelle says
These blackberry apple crumble bars turned out so good! I made them vegan using coconut oil and removing the egg. Thanks for including that option!
Choclette says
I’m trying harder to come up with vegan alternatives for my non-vegan recipes. Glad it worked for you and thanks for letting me know.
Joshua says
Blackberry and apple make a great pairing! I really enjoyed your take on a healthy crumble bar. The flavors were on point!
Choclette says
Thank you Joshua. I wouldn’t say these are particularly healthy, just a bit healthier than most.
Carrie Carvalho says
I used to love blackberry picking when I was little so this flavour is very nostalgic. I love the idea of a crumble bar too – perfect for an afternoon treat.
Choclette says
It’s interesting how we all seem to have childhood memories of blackberry picking. Sadly, I haven’t seen a single child out picking this year and I’ve been out a lot.
Kayla DiMaggio says
These blackberry and apple crumble bars are so delicious! I love the flavors of the blackberries and apples! I could seriously eat this entire pan!
Choclette says
Hahaha, possibly not in one sitting, they’re quite filling. But it is very hard to stop at one.
Chantry says
I’ve never paired blackberries and apples before! I am so excited about this. Yum!
Choclette says
It’s a classic pairing here in the UK and it works really well. Definitely worth a try.
Natalia says
Made these yesterday and turned out so good!!! I used cornflour since I didn’t have arrowroot. One question: Would you freeze them after you bake them or before? Thank you!
Choclette says
They are delicious aren’t they? So glad you liked the recipe. Cornflour and arrowroot work in a similar way, but arrowroot is actively good for you. Definitely worth seeking some out. As for freezing, you’ll need to do that after baking. Bake, cook, cut into bars, place into a suitable container and freeze. They’ll keep well for a couple of months.
Rebecca - Glutarama says
Always on the lookout for recipes to use up my freezer full of harvested blackberries and apples. This looks like the perfect solution.
Choclette says
They are so delicious Rebecca and so easy to make gluten-free too.
sherry says
i do love blackberries Haven’t picked them since i was a child down south in a much colder climate than queensland:)
Choclette says
Blackberries are synonymous with childhood I reckon. But I bet you get to have all sorts of lovely fruit that we don’t get in colder climes – avocadoes?
Nickki says
These bars look absolutely delicious and they are perfect for this time of year. I don’t think I would be able to eat just one!
Choclette says
Eating just one is a near impossibility. They are really good.
Anaiah says
Yumm! These blackberry apple crumble bars are perfect. The filling and crumble were so delicious!
Choclette says
They’re my current favourite bake. So pleased you like them too.
Lesley says
Oh yes please, these look delicious. Apple and blackberry is easily one of my favourite flavour combinations and I love your crumble base and topping.
Choclette says
They’re so good Lesley and it’s blackberry and apple all the way with us at the moment. It seems to be a bumper year.
angiesrecipes says
I need a whole dozen of these crumble bars. They look absolutely irresistible.
Choclette says
They are incredibly easy to eat, but luckily quite filling too. Stops us demolishing the lot.