Apple Crisp

While the staple apple pie requires an ample amount of time and patience, an apple crisp is the fast and easy version that still delivers on those signature fall flavors. To make a classic apple crisp, you'll toss together butter, brown sugar, and oats and pile it on top of sweet, spiced apples. The melt-in-your-mouth topping bakes up buttery and crispy, while the apples soften enough that you can cut them with a spoon. Serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream, and you'll have a picture-perfect Thanksgiving dessert ready before a pie crust would be. 😉

What People Are Saying:
"The best apple crisp! Easy to make and it turned out perfectly." - sus6191

How To Make Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS

• Apples: For baking, you want a flavorful apple that will soften slightly, but not turn into applesauce. These three apple varieties are at the top of my best-for-crisp list. You can use all of one variety or use a mix of apples, which will give your dessert a deeper, more complex flavor.
  • Honeycrisp: A sweet, crisp, juicy apple that holds up well in baked goods. Buy extras for adding to salads and snacking.
  • Granny Smith: The OG of baking apples. Cooking Granny Smiths tempers their classic tartness a bit, but they'll still retain plenty of flavor.
  • Pink Lady: Pink Lady apples are on the mild side, but they still have a good flavor and texture for baking.
• Cornstarch: Tossing the sliced fruit in cornstarch will thicken the filling, helping the delicious juices cling to the fruit.
• Lemon Juice: A couple tablespoons of fresh lemon juice is the key to balancing out the sweetness of this dessert.
• Nutmeg & Cinnamon: It’s not as pronounced as the cinnamon, but nutmeg complements the spices in a warm and welcoming way. And 1/4 teaspoon might not seem like a lot, but a little nutmeg goes a long way, particularly if it's freshly grated.
• Rolled Oats: Rolled oats (also called old-fashioned oats) are the best choice for a crisp, because they'll give you the crisp, crunchy topping you're looking for. Quick oats will work in a pinch, but the oats are cut into pieces, which will give the topping a different look and a finer texture. Avoid steel-cut oats, which don't have the right texture and will take too long to cook.
• Light Brown Sugar: This helps to sweeten our crisp topping with a rich, molasses-style flavor.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

After preheating your oven, add your sliced apples to a bowl along with the lemon juice, cornstarch, granulated sugar, nutmeg, and half of the cinnamon. Toss to combine until every apple slice is well coated.

Now we can move onto our crisp topping. In a small bowl, toss the oats, brown sugar, flour, salt and remaining cinnamon together. Add the melted butter, and stir together until the mixture turns crumbly, almost resembling wet sand.

Grab your baking dish, and layer your apple mixture on the bottom before topping with your oat mixture. Make sure to spread the oat topping evenly over the apples!

Bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until the apples are soft, the topping is crisp and golden brown, and the juices are bubbling up around the edge of the dish. Once done, serve warm, and ideally with a scoop (or two) or ice cream right on top.

Full list of ingredients & instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Apple crisp vs. apple crumble. While apple crisps and apple crumbles are similar, one ingredient sets them apart. Apple crisp is topped with a combination of oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter. An apple crumble topping has the same ingredients, just without the oats. TMYK!
• Do I need to peel my apples? I prefer to peel our apples for our apple crisp, but you can go either way! If you're a fan of the skins, feel free to leave them on—just make sure to wash them well.

Storage

This apple crisp can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. To keep longer, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Want to make this ahead? Assemble the crisp, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then bake until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, which should take about an hour.