Name: Warm Apple and Pear Crumble
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: 2 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced small; 2 medium pears, peeled, cored and diced small; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 100 g rolled oats; 40 g plain flour; 50 g butter, cold, cubed; plain whole-milk yogurt, to serve

A crumble is an easy way to serve fruit warm without any added sugar, since ripe apple and pear baked down soft already taste like dessert on their own.

Dice the fruit small before it goes in the oven, and double-check with a knife that it has gone properly soft all the way through, the detail that actually makes a baked fruit dish safe at this age.

If your little one is still earlier in the journey, start with our Baby's First Foods guide.

Part of our 20 toddler meal ideas list.

method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

Toss the diced apple and pear with the cinnamon and spread into a small baking dish.

Rub the oats, flour and cold butter together with your fingers until it looks like coarse, clumpy crumbs.

Scatter the oat topping evenly over the fruit.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the fruit is completely soft when pierced with a knife and the topping is golden.

Cool until just warm, not hot; check the fruit filling specifically, since baked fruit holds heat longer than the topping suggests.

Serve with a spoonful of plain yogurt.

chef's tips

Dice the fruit small before baking, and check it is genuinely soft all the way through with a knife before serving; this is what keeps a warm fruit dessert safe at this age, not just the baking time.
No added sugar in the filling. Ripe apple and pear, baked soft, are naturally sweet enough.
The filling holds heat much longer than the topping looks like it would. Always check the fruit itself, not just the surface, before you call it cool enough.
This reheats well in small portions, so it works as a planned dessert across a couple of days rather than only the night you bake it.