Channel your inner pastry chef and bake up a warm apple crisp this season! Sauteeing the apples ensures that each slice is tender and caramelized even before it hits the oven. For a lovely contrasting crunchy texture, the topping on this dessert is loaded with oats and spices.
The moment a piping hot apple crisp comes out of the oven, you’ll want to quickly grab for a big spoon. This sweet treat may not be as fancy as apple pie, but it’s just as tasty and by far easier to prepare. The caramel glaze, cinnamon, nutmeg spice, and the rustic crumble topping are a winning combination. It’s hard to resist juicy spiced apples topped with crunchy oatmeal clusters.
The one thing that’s at risk when making apple crisp is undercooked fruit with a runny sauce. This happens when apples are tossed in raw with a flour-dusting then baked. The topping cooks faster, so the filling never softens and the juices don’t thicken up. The good news, this is easy to avoid by pre-cooking the apples.
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Ensure a Juicy Apple Crisp Filling
To make a fork-tender filling with a syrupy glaze, pre-cook the apples. Make sure to cut the apples into uniform slices, about ¼-inch thickness. This ensures even cooking and faster softening. To quick start flavor development, the apples are tossed with sugar, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice to balance the sweetness.
A generous amount of apples are sauteed until crisp-tender and coated with the sticky cinnamon sauce. I’ve noticed that the apples drop to about half of their volume. Even though 3 pounds of apples seems like a lot, don’t forget the shrinking factor as moisture is released from their flesh. Make sure not to overcook as the apples will still have more heat exposure when baked with the topping.
Crunchy Topping Texture
What makes for a good apple crisp topping with nice crunch is blending the right ratio of flour, brown sugar, butter, oats, and sweet spices. For the texture, I wanted to have large chunks that are crunchy and golden on the outside, and slightly chewy in the center. If you can imagine tiny bites of oatmeal cookie crumbles, that’s what you’ll experience.
To achieve this, dime-sized pieces of butter are cut into the flour mixture. Once baked, the proteins in the flour deepen in color and harden while the sugar creates a caramel flavor. The result is a lightly sweet, but crunchy base. Old-fashioned rolled oats are used because the flakes maintain their shape and stay chewy once cooked. If you’ve ever wondered the difference between a crisp or a crumble, they both have streusel-style toppings, however, crisps have oats and crumbles do not.
What Kind of Apples do You Use?
The best kind of apple to use for an apple crisp is Honeycrisp. When fall rolls around until the end of spring, this juicy, tart, and sweet fruit is my top pick. They are great apples for cooking because they hold their shape, and don’t become mealy like red delicious apples.
If Honeycrisp is not available, then Fuji or Granny Smith apples are good substitutions. Fuji is closest to flavor profile with a slight more flower blossom taste, and Granny Smith is more tart for those who want their dessert to have just a hint of sweetness.
Extra Topping Ideas
This apple crisp recipe is by far my favorite fall dessert that can easily be baked and enjoyed year around. Eat it plain, or a la mode with vanilla ice cream, the choice is yours. Maybe even a drizzle of caramel sauce, if you’re sweet tooth has a craving.
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #jessicagavin on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Gently Pre-Cook the Apples for the Best Texture
Don’t be tempted to crank up the heat to cook the apples in a shorter time. In this case, a little patience, constant stirring, and moderate heat prevent the apples from becoming too soft and mealy. Gentle heat helps to strengthen the internal structure of the fruit, so it keeps its shape once baked. We want intact apples, not applesauce filling.
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 3 pounds Honeycrisp apples, (1.4 kg, 12 cups sliced)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, (50g, 1 3/4 ounces)
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, (50g, 1 3/4 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, (15g, 1/2 ounce)
Crisp Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, (80g, 2 3/4 ounces)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, (50g, 1 3/4 ounces)
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, (50g, 1 3/4 ounces)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, (90g, 3 ounces)
Instructions
Apple Filling
- Set oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 375ºF (191ºC).
- Peel, core and cut apples to 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Combine sliced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large bowl.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, once hot add 1 tablespoon butter and the apples.
- Saute until the apples are crisp-tender, most of the moisture is released, and a syrupy sauce clings to the apples, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Lightly butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.
- Evenly spread cooked apples into the baking dish.
Crisp Topping
- Mix together flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
- Cut butter into small 1/4-inch pieces and add to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, pressing together to create large pebble shaped pieces of crumble topping, about the size of a dime.
- Evenly sprinkle the topping over the apples.
- Bake until the topping is golden brown and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Wait 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Granny Smith apples can be substituted for a more tart flavor. Fuji, Gala or MacIntosh apples can also be substituted for the Honeycrisp apples.
- Apple crisp can also be baked in an 8 to 10-inch cast iron pan.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Substitute gluten-free rolled outs and gluten-free flour. I recommend Bob's Red Mill brand for both products.
- Make it Dairy-Free: Substitute coconut oil instead of butter.
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Good Morning Jessica,
What a nice warming dessert for this cooler weather we are having. I have printed it for our son who is coming at Christmas too. Have added Honeycrisp apples and unsalted butter to my grocery app.
Thank you for one wonderful recipe after another.
Judy
Let me know how you guys like the apple crisp judy!
You recipe sounds great, but how about giving the amount of apples in cups? Also, could the apples be cooked in a cast iron skillet and then the topping added and just baked in it, saving an extra pan to clean up?
Hi Carol- Great question! It’s about 12 cups sliced apples (at 1/4-inch thick slices). Yes, you can absolutely make the apple crisp in a cast iron skillet, that’s a great idea!
LOVE that you have the weights for the ingredients!!! So helpful.