Apple Crisp Recipe

Overhead view of a bowl of apple crisp with a scoop of ice cream with a spoon beside it.

This easy apple crisp is the fall dessert of your dreams. The combination of silky, lightly sweetened spiced apples and the crunchy oat topping is hard to beat!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 610kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

8x8 inch baking dish

Ingredients

5 to 6 pounds apples peeled, cored, and sliced (2½ pounds, 1.1kg)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
⅓ cup granulated sugar (can also use brown sugar) (66g)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ cup unsalted butter cut into small cubes (56g)

For the Topping:

1¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup all-purpose flour (90g)
½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes (170g)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, toss the apple with the lemon juice. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and toss until well combined. Spread into the baking dish. Sprinkle with butter.

For the Topping:

In a small bowl, stir together the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter to the mixture and work together with your hands or a fork until the mixture is crumbly and has clumps about the size of peas. Sprinkle the topping all over the top of the apples.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Cool for a few minutes and serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Video

Notes

Idle hands in your household? Get them to help peel the apples!
Cut the apples into roughly equal-sized pieces. Don’t stress about getting them exactly the same size, but try to cut them somewhat the same size so they bake evenly.
For extra zing, add lemon zest. If you’re a fan of citrus flavors, add lemon zest to the filling! Or use orange zest. Citrus immediately adds brightness to the warm, earthy flavors in the apple filling.
The butter should be cold. If you want to prepare ahead of time, make the topping and then refrigerate it. The butter in the topping should be cold so that it holds its shape in big, crunchy pieces during baking.
Don’t be shy with the crisp topping. The crisp-chewy streusel topping with oats is a favorite, so don’t skimp! I call it a “too much is never enough” situation and tend to mound it pretty high. As the apples soften and release their juices, the whole thing will drop a bit and won’t be piled so high.
Switch up the spices. While I love the timeless combination of cinnamon and nutmeg, feel free to add ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, cloves, allspice, or any other spice you enjoy.

Nutrition