Apple crisp, apple crumble, and apple brown Betty – Aren’t they all the same thing? No, but it’s a fine line of difference between them.
Apple Crisp, Crumble, and Brown Betty are all topped with crumbs; but the type of crumb is distinctive to each dish – In first two, the crumbs are made from flour, butter, and sugar. Crisp has finer crumbs, while Crumble crumbs are more chunky. Crumbles often have another fruit paired with the apples. Brown Betty gets its crispness from actual bread crumbs.
Just below, you will find easy to print recipes (and a quick look, too) for each of these desserts. After the recipes, enjoy reading my Q&A of the most-asked questions about apples.
Table of Contents
- Apple Crisp: a perennial crowd-pleaser
- Apple and Blueberry Crumble: teatime treat
- Rhubarb and Apple Crumble: a Springtime favorite
- Apple Brown Betty: toasty goodness
- Apple Q & A: the things you have most wanted to know
- Resources for Further Exploration
Apple Crisp: a perennial crowd-pleaser
This is my favorite dessert to bring to my cousin’s house, because her husband is diabetic. It was inspired by a recipe from the Diabetes Assoc..
Apple Crisp Recipe: Ingredients
- 1/2 t. vanilla
- 6 apples
- 1/4 c. dark brown sugar
- 1/4 c. flour
- ½ c. oats
- 2 T. butter
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. nutmeg
How to Make Apple Crisp
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter a 9”x13” glass baking dish.
- Core and slice apples.
- Toss apple slices with vanilla in baking dish.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl to form small crumbs.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Apple Crisp Printable Recipe
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- ½ t. vanilla
- 6 apples
- ¼ c. dark brown sugar
- ¼ c. flour
- ½ c. oats
- 2 T. butter
- 1 t. cinnamon
- ¼ t. nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter a 9”x13” glass baking dish.
- Core and slice apples.
- Toss apple slices with vanilla in baking dish.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl to form small crumbs.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Apple Crisp Tips for Success
- Number of apples is flexible.
- Pears can be subbed for apples. I like to add a pinch of ginger with pears.
- Baking time may vary, depending on the number and type of apples used. Very firm apples take longer to cook.
- A bake-and-take set is very useful, if your apple crisp is going to take a ride in the car. I use this American-made dish (view here).
Apple and Blueberry Crumble: teatime treat
A fruit crumble is similar to a fruit crisp. Atop a dish of sweet, baked fruit is a layer made from flour, butter, and sugar. The difference is that the layer is crispy and thinner on a crisp. The topping on a crumble is chunky, almost like someone roughly broke up some cookies over the top.
Apple and Blueberry Crumble Recipe: Ingredients
- 5 apples
- 1 pt. blueberries
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1/2t. almond extract
- 2c. flour
- 1c. sugar
- 1 1/2t. cinnamon
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
How to Make Apple and Blueberry Crumble
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter a 9”x13” glass baking dish.
- Core and slice apples.
- Toss apple slices and blueberries with both extracts in baking dish.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl to form large, crumbly bits.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Apple and Blueberry Crumble Printable Recipe
Apple and Blueberry Crumble
Ingredients
- 5 5 apples
- 1 pt. blueberries
- 1 t. vanilla
- ½ t. almond extract
- 2 c. flour
- 1 c. sugar
- 1½ t. cinnamon
- ½ t. salt
- 1½ sticks butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter a 9”x13” glass baking dish.
- Core and slice apples.
- Toss apple slices and blueberries with both extracts in baking dish.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl to form large, crumbly bits.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Apple and Blueberry Crumble Tips for Success
- Amount of fruit is flexible.
- An equal amount of any berry works great in a crumble, or even a mixture of berries.
- Baking time may vary, depending on the number and type of apples used. Very firm apples take longer to cook.
- A bake-and-take set is very useful, if your crumble is going to take a ride in the car. I use this American-made dish (view here).
Rhubarb and Apple Crumble: a Springtime favorite
Another interesting feature that may separate a crumble from a crisp is the pairing of apples with a second summer fruit, such as blueberries (see above) or rhubarb.
Rhubarb and Apple Crumble Recipe: Ingredients
- 5 apples
- 1 pt. 1” pieces of rhubarb
- 1 t. almond extract
- 1/2c. + 1c. sugar
- 2c. flour
- 1 1/2t. cinnamon
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
How to Make Rhubarb and Apple Crumble
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter a 9”x13” glass baking dish.
- Core and slice apples.
- Toss apple slices and rhubarb with almond extract and 1/2c. sugar in baking dish.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl to form large, crumbly bits.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Rhubarb and Apple Crumble Printable Recipe
Apple and Rhubarb Crumble
Rhubarb and Apple Crumble Tips for Success
- Amount of fruit is flexible.
- An equal amount of any berry works great in a crumble, or even a mixture of berries.
- Baking time may vary, depending on the number and type of apples used. Very firm apples take longer to cook.
- A bake-and-take set is very useful, if your crumble is going to take a ride in the car. I use this American-made dish (view here).
Apple Brown Betty: toasty goodness
Crumble meets Bread Pudding in the Apple Brown Betty. The process is very similar, except seasoned bread crumbs take the place of the flour-based topping.
Apple Brown Betty Recipe: Ingredients
- 1/2 t. vanilla
- 6 apples
- 1/4 c. dark brown sugar
- 1 c. bread crumbs
- 2 T. melted butter
- 1 t. cinnamon
How to Make Apple Brown Betty
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter a 9”x13” glass baking dish.
- Core and slice apples.
- Toss apple slices with vanilla in baking dish.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Apple Brown Betty Printable Recipe
Apple Brown Betty
Ingredients
- ½ t. vanilla
- 6 apples
- ¼ c. dark brown sugar
- 1 c. bread crumbs
- 2 T. melted butter
- 1 t. cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter a 9”x13” glass baking dish.
- Core and slice apples.
- Toss apple slices with vanilla in baking dish.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Apple Brown Betty Tips for Success
- For another texture, bread cubes can be used in place of the bread crumbs.
- Number of apples is flexible.
- Pears can be subbed for apples. I like to add a pinch of ginger with pears.
- Baking time may vary, depending on the number and type of apples used. Very firm apples take longer to cook.
Apple Q & A: the things you have most wanted to know
Which type of apple is best?
It depends on what you’re using your apples for. Check out the helpful infographic below for the basics.
What is the Best Apple for Apple Crisp?
It depends on what texture you expect from the apples – Soft and saucy, or firm and separate. MacIntosh apples get really soft. Granny Smith apples hold their shape really well. A mixture of both pleases everybody!
What is the benefit of eat [-ing an] apple?
Apples have an amazing array of health benefits, including helping with diabetes, lung function, and immune support. The most noticeable change you may see from eating apples is improved digestion. An article at reviewed by Kathleen Zelman, RD, puts it best:
The fiber can slow digestion so you feel fuller after eating. This can keep you from overeating. Eating fiber-rich foods helps control symptoms and lessens the effects of acid reflux. An apple’s fiber can also help with diarrhea and constipation.”
Kathleen Zelman, RD
You may have noticed that I do not call for peelping apples in my recipes. The peel bleeds a pretty pink blush into cook apple recipes. It also imparts a richer apple flavor. It even makes the dessert a better food, according to staff at the Harvard School of Public Health:
Fresh, whole apples offer the most nutrients. Discarding the skin removes much of the fiber and the majority of flavonoids.”
Staff, Harvard School of Public Health
How many apples should you eat a day?
One or two is a safe amount. After that, your basic survival instinct is likely to kick in and let you know that you’ve had enough. One hopes.
There are some issues with having more than that, which is why we should always enjoy things in moderation. What’s good about apples is also what is bad about them:
- A large amount of apples may give you more sugar at one time than you can handle.
- That much fiber can cause digestive upset.
- Eating more apples would make you feel too full to eat the other parts of a balanced diet, such as meat, vegetables, etc., causing you to miss essential nutrients.
How many different types of apples are there?
Over the years, there have certainly been hundreds of types of apples, at least. An article by the staff at Minnetonka Orchards describes 94 of them! I learned from them that the RI Greening apple is actually not named for its striking color:
The Rhode Island Greening Apple isn’t named for its color, but rather for the surname of the tavern owner who discovered it in Middletown, RI, in the mid seventeenth century: Mr. Green.”
Staff, Minnetonka Orchards
Resources for Further Exploration
n. b. – Shopping links in this article help to support this website, but at no charge to you. Thank you.
