Homemade Apple Crisp
When I think of crisp Autumn days, the leaves turning bright shades of orange, red and yellow, and the still sunny days, I think of this Homemade Apple Crisp. The sweet and tart flavor of the apples, the cinnamon and cloves, the crunchy, buttery topping. In addition to the wonderful flavor, you will want to make this because of how good it makes your house smell when it’s baking. Truly one of my favorite Autumn desserts, and so easy to make.
All of the best flavors of Autumn are in this dish. Crisp apples? Check. Warm spices? Check. Sweet, crunchy oat topping? Check. All the flavors of Apple Pie, half the work. Not that I don’t love a good Apple Pie (who doesn’t?), it’s just sometimes you need that level of goodness a lot quicker. If you’re looking for a quick dessert mid-week, here it is. If you need something to take to a party, here it is.
For more apple goodness, check out my Apple Cinnamon Scones or my Easy One Bowl Apple Spice Cupcakes. You really can’t go wrong with the flavor of apple and cinnamon, especially around Fall time.
Best Apples for Apple Crisp
There are so many apples to choose from when making this crisp, some better suited for the job than others. Top of mind for me is the Granny Smith apple. The tartness of these apples goes perfectly with the sweetness of this dish, balancing out the flavors. Pink Lady is also a great option. I love their firm flesh and tart/sweet flavor. My third pick is the Northern Spy apple. Not sold in stores, but can be found at many local orchards. It also has a nice tart/sweet flavor to it. The more popular Honeycrisp apple is also a great choice for this apple crisp, as well as the Gala and Golden Delicious apples.
Ingredients
- Apples The most important ingredient. I suggest the Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Northern Spy apple. You can also use Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp or Gala. Or try using whatever your favorite apple is, though I would stay away from the mushy type apples.
- Brown Sugar Adds a caramel-y sweetness to the crisp topping.
- Flour Helps hold the crisp topping together.
- Oats This is so we can call it oatmeal and eat it for breakfast. Lol!
- White Sugar Just a bit of sugar added to the apple mixture for sweetness.
- Cold Butter Along with the flour, helps hold the crisp topping together.
- Cornstarch Provides a bit of thickness to the apple mixture.
- Vanilla Subtle floral notes to enhance the flavor of the crisp.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves OR pumpkin pie spice I was out of nutmeg, so I used pumpkin pie spice in the crisp topping, plus a bit of cinnamon in the apple mixture.
- Cloves The warm flavor of cloves adds a bit of something extra that’s hard to pick out, but essential for a bold flavor.
- Salt Balances all of the flavors.
How to Make Apple Crisp
Step One: Cut up butter into small pieces. Set in fridge. Alternatively, you can shred the butter with a cheese grater. This option will work well if you don’t have a pastry cutter needed to cut the cubed butter into the dry mixture.
Step Two: Mix together the ingredients for the crisp topping. (Flour, white sugar, spices, salt, vanilla, oats) Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. If you have grated the butter, mix in with a spoon.
Step Three: Peel and slice the apples. I use a potato peeler and an apple corer to do this. Add the apples to a 9×9 baking dish. Glass, light-colored metal, or ceramic will work. Add the white sugar, cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix to incorporate.
Step Four: Add the crisp topping on top of the apple mixture. Pat the topping down a bit onto the apples.
Step Five: Bake for 45 minutes on the middle rack, or until apples are just fork tender. The top should be golden brown and crisp looking. I like to check on the crisp about 30 minutes in. If you still see that some of the crisp mixture is uncooked, use a fork to mix it up a bit and continue to let it cook.
Step Six: Once done, remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm with caramel drizzle and vanilla ice cream, if desired. Personally, I love this when it is cold as well. I love pulling it out of the fridge and eating it without warming it up. Either way, it’s delicious!
This video was recorded right after I took the crisp out of the oven. Turn up the sound to hear that wonderful, crackling sound of the freshly baked Apple Crisp! If this doesn’t convince you to make this right now, I don’t know what will.
Why I Love This Apple Crisp Recipe
- How does it taste? Out of this world! The tart, the sweet, the warm spices, the crunch. You cannot go wrong with this recipe.
- How does it smell? Divine! The smell alone is enough to get me to make this.
- Is it easy to make? This dessert is super easy to make. With its everyday ingredients, and minimal amount of work, you can have a delicious apple crisp ready in just over an hour.
- Would I make it again? Absolutely!
Frequently Asked Questions
Once it has cooled down, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container with a lid for up to three days.
This dish is best made the day of. That said, you could mix the dry ingredients together, then cut the butter in the day you will be making it. You could also peel and slice the apples a day ahead of time. You will want to add about a teaspoon of lemon juice to the apples to help prevent browning, be sure to store cut apples in an airtight container. Honestly though, once this dish is cooked, you won’t be able to tell if the apples are a little bit brown or not. You could also cube or shred the butter ahead of time and store in an airtight container.
Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Northern Spy are my top picks. You can also use Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, or Gala apples.
Peeling the apples is a matter of preference. I you don’t mind the skins, then leave them unpeeled. I personally do not like the cooked skins in my crisp, so I choose to peel them.
A glass, light-metal or ceramic pan will all work well. Be sure if you are using metal that it is light colored, otherwise, you run the risk of burning your apple crisp.
A crisp has a ‘crisp’ topping with oatmeal and brown sugar and is a bit more crunchy than a cobbler. A cobbler has more of a dough like topping, scooped out in round shapes, forming a cobbled looking top, kind of like a cobbled street, hence the name.
Other Recipes to Try
Homemade Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Topping
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut in small pieces
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup oats, rolled
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 6 apples, sliced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cube the butter and set in the fridge. You can also use a cheese shredder to shred the butter. Peel and thinly slice the apples.
- In a large bowl, add the apples, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/ cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix to fully combine. Add the apple mixture to a 9×9 greased pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the 1/2 cup of oats, 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Add the cubed butter to the oat mixture and cut in with a pastry cutter. Pour this mixture on top of the apple mixture, patting it down onto the apples.
- Bake the apple crisp for 45 minutes at 350 F. It should be golden and bubbly when done. Let the crisp rest for 10 minutes before digging in. Enjoy served with ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. Yum!
Notes
- Store apple crisp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- I don’t recommend freezing apple crisp. It will lose the crunchy topping texture that makes it so wonderful. It is easy enough to make a day or two before a party or gathering.
- If you want more of a tart flavor, use all Granny Smith apples. If you want more of a sweet flavor, use Pink Lady apples or another sweet apple. You could also mix the two varieties together.
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