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Individual Apple Crumbles

Individual apple crumbles with a thick cinnamon-apple filling and a buttery oat crumble topping baked until golden with bubbling fruit. Served warm with vanilla ice cream for a cozy, ramekin-style dessert.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For apple filling
  • 5 apples large, peeled and finely diced
  • 0.3333333333 cup granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
For oat crumble
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 0.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
To serve
  • 1 vanilla ice cream

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 skillet

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease 6 individual ramekins (6–8 oz each). Keep ramekins on the counter for easy filling later.
Cook the apple filling
  1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook diced apples with unsalted butter, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, and lemon juice for 5–7 minutes until thickened. Stir often so the filling turns glossy and thick rather than watery.
  2. Divide the thickened apple filling among the greased ramekins. Fill each ramekin evenly so the topping bakes at the same rate.
Make and bake the oat crumble
  1. For the oat crumble, combine rolled oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold cubed butter until chunky clumps form with visible oat/butter bits.
  2. Top each ramekin generously with the oat crumble. Press lightly so the clumps stay in place as they bake.
  3. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake 25–30 minutes at 375F until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles. Look for caramelized edges around the apples.
Serve
  1. Serve the apple crumbles warm with vanilla ice cream. Let the ice cream melt slightly over the golden topping.

Notes

Pro tip: cook the apples until the mixture is truly thickened and glossy—this prevents a runny crumble after baking. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat in a 350F oven for 10–12 minutes until hot. Freezing is best for the baked crumbles for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat. For a lighter option, use reduced-sugar applesauce in place of part of the granulated sugar in the filling (reduce by 1–2 tbsp) and expect slightly less caramelization.