Apple Crumble Jars for On-the-Go Dessert

Portable Apple Crumble Jars – with a custard core. Serve hot or cold for a delightful picnic treat.

I love apple crumble with custard. I keep a bag of crumble mix in the freezer for emergencies, and while testing ideas for apple crumble ice lollies I ended up creating these portable crumble jars. They’re perfect for picnics and are just as good served warm as chilled.

Before the recipe, a quick note: the Neff Next Cookaholic competition is open again. I won it last year and it led to some exciting opportunities and kitchen upgrades. If you enjoy cooking and experimenting, it’s worth entering—even a phone photo and a short write-up is fine. The first stage requires a recipe and photo by the stated deadline; shortlisted cooks will be asked to make a short video and finalists cook live. I’m on the judging panel this year and am looking forward to seeing new creative entries.

Now to the recipe. These jars combine soft stewed apples, a crunchy crumble topping and a custard core made by baking your crumble around a removable foil tube. They travel well and can be finished with warm custard at serving time or chilled with cold custard for later.

The Portable Apple Crumble Jars Recipe

Portable Apple Crumble Jars

By Nicky Corbishley

Portable Apple Crumble Jars – with a custard core. Eat them hot or cold for a fab picnic treat!

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Total Time: 45 mins

Servings: 7 small jars (or 4 large jars)

Course: Dessert | Cuisine: British

Ingredients

575 g (1.3 lbs) approx 3 large Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1 cm cubes
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
185 g (about 1 1/2 cups + 1 tsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
120 g (about 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) cold butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
110 g (about 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) granulated or golden caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
500 ml (2 cups + 1 tbsp) custard (ready-made is fine)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (fan).
Place the chopped apples in a saucepan with the 2 tbsp caster sugar and 1 tbsp cold water. Cook over medium heat for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften. Remove from the heat.
Make the crumble: place the plain flour in a bowl and add the cold butter. Rub or pinch the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some larger lumps remaining for texture. Stir in the 110 g sugar and the cinnamon.
Arrange six small glass jars (mine were about 135 ml / 4 3/4 oz) on a baking tray.
Make six cylinders from kitchen foil roughly the size of a marker pen (about 10–12 cm long and 1.5+ cm diameter). Stand a foil cylinder in the centre of each jar and spoon the stewed apples around it to fill about 5/6 of the jar.
Spoon the crumble on top so it sits slightly above the rim of the jar; the foil will hold the hollow in the centre. Repeat for each jar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes until the crumble is golden. The filling will shrink slightly as the apples soften.
Carefully remove the tray from the oven and pull out the foil cylinders with a gentle twisting motion to leave a hole in the centre of each crumble.
If serving hot: heat the custard and pour it into the holes just before serving. Alternatively, pour cold custard into the holes and return the jars to the oven briefly to set a custard skin.
If serving cold: allow the jars to cool, pour in cold custard, secure lids and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Nutritional information below is an approximation per serving, based on seven small jars.

Nutrition (per small jar)

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as a guide only.