Posted November 3, 2023 by: Admin #Kitchen

Our simple Apple Crisp Recipe is a timeless dessert brimming with freshly sliced apples and crowned with a crispy, buttery, cinnamon oat topping. It’s just as tempting as our Apple Pie, but incredibly easy and quick to prepare. Enhance the experience by serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to savor the best apple crisp recipe.

Easy Apple Crisp Recipe

We’re passionate about all things Autumn, which means our love for apple recipes knows no bounds. From Apple Fritter Rings to Apple Turnovers and Apple Cake, sweetened with luscious apple slices, we just can’t get enough! If you share our enthusiasm for apple season, this recipe is a must-try.

Every year, we embark on an apple-picking adventure in my parents’ yard, where four apple trees yield a bountiful harvest. We embrace the season by getting creative with these apples, and this recipe becomes a Fall staple for us because it calls for a generous amount of apples. Here’s why it’s our go-to dessert:

• Quick and easy to make, especially if you use an apple peeler
• Family-approved – watch their eyes light up when you add vanilla ice cream.
• Make-ahead – keeps well and reheats beautifully
• Scales up or down to fit your gathering and perfect for the holidays

Apple Crisp Ingredients

Apple Crisp is all about the experience—the aroma of Fall spices, the crisp topping, and the warm, gooey filling. Here are the simple ingredients that make this incredible dessert:

• Apples – we used golden delicious apples, but any crisp apple would work well (see list of options below)
• Lemon juice – keeps the apples from browning and adds flavor and acidity to balance out the sweetness
• Sugar – adjust to taste depending on how tart your apples are
• Flour – helps to thicken the filling. You can substitute with cornstarch for a gluten-free apple crisp.
• Cinnamon – our favorite complimentary spice for apple recipes

Apple Crisp Topping Ingredients

• Flour – bonds the crumb together, feel free to use your favorite gluten-free flour
• Oats – use old-fashioned oats to make the crisp topping, make sure to buy gluten-free, if needed
• Sugar – we combine brown sugar and granulated sugar for a sweet caramel-like filling
• Cinnamon – complements the apple filling
• Salt – balances the sweetness
• Butter – use unsalted, softened butter.

Substitutions

This recipe is versatile, and here are some creative variations to consider:

• Nuts – add chopped nuts to your streusel topping
• Caramel Sauce drizzled over the top just before serving
• Cranberries – substitute 1 1/2 cups of apples for fresh or dried cranberries and add more sugar if using fresh cranberries
• Spices – add a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, or even candied ginger

Which Apples are Best for Apple Crisp?

Select firm and crisp apples to ensure they won’t become mushy in the oven. Apples vary in sweetness, so adjust the sugar accordingly. For this recipe, we used Golden Delicious apples with 3/4 cup of sugar, but if you opt for Granny Smith Apples, increase the sugar to 1 cup or adjust to taste.

You can mix different apple varieties for a unique flavor. Here are our preferred apples for baking:

• Golden Delicious
• Granny Smith
• Fuji
• Honeycrisp
• Jonagold
• Braeburn
• Pink Lady

How to Make Apple Crisp

Slice, mix, dump, bake—see how easy it is to make this classic recipe:

• Prep – Butter a 9×13 casserole dish, preheat oven to 375˚F.
• Cut Apples – peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4″-thick pieces (an apple peeler makes it easy), then transfer to a bowl, and toss with 2 Tbsp lemon juice.
• Coat Apples – in a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon then sprinkle over apples and stir to coat. Transfer to buttered casserole dish.
• Topping – In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add diced softened butter and use your hands to stir in the butter until pea-sized crumbs form throughout. Then, spread the topping evenly over your apples.
• Bake – place on the center rack in the oven and bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes until bubbling at the edges. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil until the apples are bubbling.

Pro Tip

If you want to keep your hands clean, you can mix the topping in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until pea-sized crumbs form. Be sure not to overmix, because you want the topping to be crumbly, not dough-like.

Common Questions

What is the difference between apple crisp, crumble, and cobbler?

We often use the terms interchangeably, and the ingredients are very similar, but technically speaking, an apple crisp has a crunchy oat-based topping, while an apple crumble has a sandier texture since it is flour-based. Apple Cobbler has a biscuit or cake-like topping.

Can I make this gluten-free?

Yes, you can replace the flour in the apple filling with cornstarch and then replace the flour in the topping with 1 to 1 gluten-free flour or flour substitute.

What is the best way to peel apples for apple crisp?

Using an apple peeler is a major time saver. It will peel, core, and slice your apples in seconds.

Can I make apple crisp in the slow cooker?

Sure! Put the apple crisp filling in the slow cooker, and top with the streusel. Before closing the lid, place a paper towel on the slow cooker bowl first to catch any condensation. Cook until bubbly, on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-7 hours.

What kind of oats are best in apple crisp?

We use old-fashioned oats because they crisp up perfectly as the apples bake. Quick oats are cut into small pieces, so the topping will have a finer texture and not be as crunchy. Avoid steel-cut oats since they won’t cook in time.

How to Serve Apple Crisp

The best way to serve apple crisp is warm, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. You can try topping it with caramel sauce, Greek yogurt, or whipped cream as well.

There’s nothing like pulling an apple dessert out of the oven to draw everyone into the kitchen. Who can resist the sweet aroma of a baked Apple Crisp?

Make-Ahead

• Room Temperature – store apple crisp covered on the counter for a day but refrigerate leftovers beyond that.
• To Refrigerate – once apple crisp is at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-5 days.
• To Reheat – apple crisp is best served warm. You can reheat the chilled crisp in the microwave just until heated through or reheat in the oven at 350˚F for about 15 minutes.

For the Apple Crisp Filling:

• • Prep: Generously Butter a 9×13 casserole dish with 1/2 Tbsp butter. Preheat the oven to 375F.
  • Peel core and thinly slice apples to 1/4’ thickness. You should have 12 cups of sliced apples. Squeeze 2 Tbsp lemon juice over the apples and toss to coat.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp flour, and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon then sprinkle mixture over apples and toss to combine. Transfer apples into the buttered casserole dish.
  • Make the topping – in a large bowl, use your hands to stir together flour, oats, brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add the diced butter and work it into the mixture with your hands until pea-sized crumbs form throughout. Spread topping over apples.
    

    Make-Ahead

    • Store apple crisp at room temperature for up to one day; beyond that, refrigerate any leftovers.
    • When refrigerating, allow the apple crisp to reach room temperature first, then cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
    • To reheat, it’s best to serve the apple crisp warm. You can either microwave the chilled crisp until heated through or reheat it in the oven at 350˚F for approximately 15 minutes.

    For the Apple Crisp Filling:

    • Preparation: Begin by generously buttering a 9×13 casserole dish with 1/2 Tbsp of butter. Preheat the oven to 375F.
    • Peel, core, and thinly slice apples to a 1/4-inch thickness, resulting in approximately 12 cups of sliced apples. Squeeze 2 Tbsp of lemon juice over the apples and toss to coat them evenly.
    • In a separate bowl, combine 3/4 cup of sugar, 3 Tbsp of flour, and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples and toss to ensure the apples are coated. Transfer the coated apples into the buttered casserole dish.
    • Prepare the topping by using your hands to mix flour, oats, brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add the diced butter and incorporate it into the mixture with your hands until pea-sized crumbs form throughout. Spread this topping evenly over the apples.
    • Bake at 375˚F for 45-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden and crisp, and the apples are bubbling at the edges. Ensure that the center registers a temperature above 175˚F.