Breakfast Crumble

I was inspired to make this while I was wondering what I could make as a “special” breakfast for my youngest brother’s birthday.

Cinnamon rolls, banana bread and pancakes all crossed my mind, but all of those took too long to make or bake and on that particular day I really didn’t want to be getting up at the crack of dawn!

Then I thought of crumble. Fruit and oats are very normal breakfast ingredients, as well as very normal ingredients for crumble, so I thought there was no reason why I couldn’t combine them and create something new.

For me crumble is definitely a comfort food and in this recipe I’ve been able to include ingredients which make it a very balanced, nutritious (and super yummy) breakfast, while still being “special” enough for it to be a treat for a special day.

And it only took about 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake which is definitely another big plus!

(Serves 6 for breakfast)

Crumble topping:

300g oats
5 tbsp coconut oil
100ml syrup/honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp linseeds (optional)

Filling:

450g frozen (or fresh) mixed berries
6 apples (approx. 800g)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp flour
Extra squirt of syrup/honey

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C (180C fan).
2. Wash and chop the apples into small pieces, then add to a pan with ca. 150ml boiling water, cinnamon and syrup. Cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the apples are soft.
3. While the apples are cooking you can make the crumble topping. In a bowl combine the oats, linseeds and salt. In a small saucepan melt the coconut oil, syrup and cinnamon until well combined, then pour the coconut oil mixture over the oats and stir until all of the dry ingredients are wet.
4. Now you can check your apples, which should be nearly cooked. They will continue to cook in the oven so they don’t need to be completely soft. We’re just giving them a head start. Add your frozen berries to the apple pan. Stir round and cook for a couple of minutes, until the berries have warmed up a bit. Your fruit mixture should go a lovely berry colour! Add 1 tbsp of flour to soak up and thicken some of the juices released from the fruit.
7. Pour the fruit mixture into a dish and drizzle a little bit of syrup or honey over everything. Spoon the crumble topping on top so that it covers all of the fruit.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the oats have browned slightly.

I served this with yoghurt and/or milk and some toasted nuts and seeds to add some extra goodness.

Toasted nuts:

All you need is a couple of handfuls of any nuts and seeds you like (I did walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds and pumpkin seeds.

– Place the nuts and seeds in a single layer on some baking parchment and bake for 7-10 minutes, until the nuts are browning slightly and beginning to smell nice and nutty. (I just put my nut and seed mixture next to my crumble in the oven 15 minutes into the cooking time).