Spiced Apple & Oat Crumble Cups
Everything you want from a crumble — hot fruit, rubble on top — in four ramekins and a fraction of the oven time.
Why it works
Dates chopped through the apple do the sweetening, and as they collapse they thicken the juice — the job flour usually does. Rubbing cold butter into oats rather than flour gives a topping that crisps in twelve minutes instead of forty, with no raw starch to cook through.
Method
- Heat the air fryer to 180°C (350°F). Toss the apple, dates, spice, lemon zest and juice in a bowl, then divide between four ramekins and press level.
- Tip the oats, almonds and salt into the same bowl. Rub the butter through with your fingertips for a minute, until the oats clump into loose pebbles, then stir in the maple syrup.
- Spoon the crumble over the fruit, right to the edges. Leave it loose — the gaps are what let the steam out.
- Sit the ramekins in the basket and air fry for 12 minutes. They are done when the topping is deep gold, the fruit bubbles up the sides, and a knife slides through the apple.
- Serve from the ramekins with a spoonful of cold yoghurt collapsing into the top. They hold their heat, so wait a moment before the first mouthful.
For the toddler
Spoon a little of the apple and date mixture into a fifth small ramekin at step 1 and top it with oats rubbed with butter but no flaked almonds, which are a choking risk under five. It cooks on the same timer. Ramekins hold their heat for a long while, so stand theirs on a cold plate for five minutes and stir it through before serving. A couple of spoonfuls is a portion.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Pears, or half apple and half blackberries. Frozen berries go in unthawed; add 2 minutes.
Use one shallow dish that fits the basket, not four ramekins.
Strong tea, and a jug of cold milk to pour into the hot crumble.
Keeps 3 days chilled. Reheat 4 minutes at 180°C (350°F); a microwave turns the topping soft.