Best Apple Crisp Recipe

A serving of apple crisp with a scoop of ice cream in a cast iron server. Three gold spoons and two apples are above it.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple crisp, best apple crisp recipe, how to make apple crisp

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 20

Servings:

Calories: 413kcal

This the best apple crisp recipe because it has a crispy oat topping and a delicious filling with the cozy, comforting flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg. It comes together in minutes!

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Equipment

Ingredients

Apple Crisp Topping

1 cup old-fashioned oats NOT quick oats
¾ cup flour
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoon unsalted butter one stick

Apple Filling

3 pounds apples such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

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Instructions

Apple Crisp Topping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the flour, old-fashioned oats, salt, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Cut cold butter into small cubes and add to the oat mixture. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until fully combined and you have a sandy texture.
Squeeze the topping together in your hands, then break apart to form chunks of various shapes and sizes. Place the bowl of topping in the freezer while you prepare the apples.

Apple Filling

Peel and core the apples, then cut into ¼-inch cubes. See note.
Place the cut apples in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine. Transfer the apple filling to a 9x13 baking dish.

Assemble the crisp

Remove the apple crisp topping from the freezer and spread evenly over the apple mixture in the 9x13 pan.
Bake for 55-65 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden brown, and the apples are bubbling. Allow the baked apple crisp cool for about 15 minutes before serving so the juices can set up.

Notes

You can cut apples for apple crisp however you like, as long as they are about the same size so they cook evenly. You can cut them into cubes, wedges, or slices. For this recipe, I peel the apples and cut them into ¼-inch cubes because this is the texture that I prefer.
If you have time, pop the cubed butter into the freezer for 5-10 minutes before you add it to the dry ingredients. This will keep it from getting too soft as you're mixing, and make it easier to form those big, crisp boulders of topping.

For a thicker filling, add 2 tablespoons of flour or corn starch to the apple mixture along with the lemon juice and spices.

You MUST use old-fashioned oats. Quick oats will get mushy and you won't have the crunchy topping that we want.

To make this apple crisp gluten-free, substitute almond flour for the all-purpose flour 1:1.

You can add other spices to both the apple filling and to the crisp topping. Try cardamom, ginger, allspice, etc.

Try mixing some chopped pecans or walnuts into the topping for added crunch.

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