Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

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This Salted Caramel Apple Crumble recipe that will have you licking your plate clean! Soft apples, topped with a buttery crumble top and homemade salted caramel sauce. Pure heaven!

Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

I remember being a little girl and watching my mom make her recipe for apple crumble which was heavy on the apples and very light on the crumble and I remember thinking what a travesty it was. I was probably 5.

So, as an adult armed with a decent amount of kitchen knowledge, I took matters into my own hands promising myself that I would create a recipe that even I, the cooked fruit hater, could love.

And I did it! I took it pretty easy on the apples, doubled the normal amount of crumble topping, and was quite heavy-handed with the warm salted caramel sauce for the ultimate fall dessert that everyone and their mom will love. So let’s make this baby!

Main Ingredients Needed

This apple crumble recipe has three main components. The sauce, crumble, and apple filling. Each section needs its own set of ingredients and so I’m going to break it down for you so you know exactly what you have already and what you need to go buy.

For the Caramel Sauce

All pretty basic pantry staples. If you really aren’t wanting to make caramel sauce you can always buy the pre-made stuff.

• Sugar – the base of all caramel sauce! Sticky sweet goodness.
• Water – this helps dissolve the sugar so you get a smooth caramel.
• Sea Salt – I love flavoring this sauce with sea salt but you could always leave it out.
• Heavy Cream – for creaminess.
• Butter – this provides silky texture.
• Vanilla – for flavor!

For the Crumble

If you like to bake you should already have this stuff, which means, you could probably make this dessert today!

• Flour – this holds the butter together so it doesn’t create a melty mess.
• Granulated + Brown Sugar – both are used to sweeten.
• Butter – this creates a great flavorful crumb.
• Salt – this balances out the flavors.

For the Apples

Do you see a pattern here? This recipe is set up to be ready to make and super easy to follow!

• Apples – the best apples to use for this dish are granny smith apples. This is simply because of their taste, texture, and good baking qualities.
• Butter – to provide flavor while cooking the apples.
• Lemon Juice – this brightens the flavor of the apples while also keeping them from browning.
• Salt – this balances out the flavors.

How to Make Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

For full details on how to make Salted Caramel Apple Crumble, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Step 1: Make the Crumble Topping

The first step is to prepare the crumble topping. This is a super easy process where you just measure, dump, and mix. The mixture will be crumbly but stay together when squeezed. Set aside.

Step 2: Make Salted Caramel Sauce

The hardest part of this recipe is probably making the homemade salted caramel. I’m going to walk you through the steps pretty well but if it still intimidates you in any way, there are plenty of salted caramel sauces on the market which are great options. Even warming up Hershey’s caramel sauce and adding in a little sea salt will work too. Here we go 🙂

1. Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat to melt the sugar. Continue cooking and swirling sugar until it turns amber in color.
2. Whisk in sea salt and heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up violently briefly. Continue whisking until the sauce is smooth.
3. Stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside.

Step 3: Prep Apples + Cook

Prepare apples and toss in lemon juice.

Cook apples in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat in butter to draw out moisture. Sprinkle with salt to draw out all the moisture possible. Drain apples and place back into skillet. This process should take about 5-7 minutes of cooking.

Step 4: Layer Apple Crumble

Pour 3/4 of prepared caramel sauce into the apples and stir gently. Top with the crumble topping.

Step 5: Bake + Serve

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and serve with remaining caramel sauce.

Toppings

Besides the caramel sauce, you can also top this dessert with ice cream or whipped cream. Kinda think of it as a deconstructed apple pie. So all that creaminess perfectly compliments this apple crumble recipe.

Leftovers

I doubt you’ll have any leftovers because this dessert is SO divine! But if you do, don’t worry. Cover with plastic wrap and store your apple crumble in the fridge for up to 4 days.

You can reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time or pop it into the oven to warm it up.

More Apple Recipes to Try!

• Apple Turnover
• Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Buttery Apple Crisp
• Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Danish
• Apple Streusel Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
• Buttery Apple Pie Recipe

Be sure to save, email, or pin this recipe so you have it and use it all Fall long. It’s a good one 🙂

Printable recipe card below. Have a great day, friends!

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4.8 from 20 votes

Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

An Apple Crumble recipe that will have you licking your plate clean! Soft Apples, topped with a buttery crumble top and homemade salted caramel sauce. Pure heaven!

servings 8 servings

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Ingredients

For the caramel sauce-

• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 3/4 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the crumble-

• ▢ 1 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• ▢ 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 6 tablespoons butter softened
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the apples-

• ▢ 4 granny smith apples peeled, cored and sliced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the caramel sauce-

• Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat to melt the sugar. Continue cooking and swirling sugar until it turns amber in color.
• Whisk in sea salt and heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up violently briefly. Continue whisking until sauce is smooth.
• Stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside.
  

For the Crumble

• Combine all ingredients together using a stand mixer. The mixture will be crumbly but stay together when squeezed. Set aside.
  

For the Apples

• Prepare apples and toss in lemon juice.
  
• Cook apples in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat in butter to draw out moisture. Sprinkle with salt to draw out all the moisture possible. Drain apples and place back into skillet. This process should take about 5-7 minutes of cooking.
  
• Pour 3/4 of prepared caramel sauce into the apples and stir gently.
  
• Top with the crumble topping.
  
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and serve with remaining caramel sauce.
  

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 659mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 860IU | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apple crumble, apple crumble recipe, how to make apple crumble, salted caramel sauce