Easy Apple Crisp
- PREP 15min
- COOK 1hrs 15min
- TOTAL 1hrs 30min
We love this easy apple crisp recipe. Like most baked apple recipes, you’ll want to use flavorful and firm apples. It’s also nice to combine two varieties. We used two baking-friendly apples in our photos (Granny Smith and Braeburn). You could even add a handful of blackberries, raisins, or cranberries. We also found that leaving the apples unpeeled improves the texture and flavor (especially after such a long baking time).
Serve warm or at room temperature. It’s delicious plain, with homemade whipped cream or with ice cream.
You Will Need
6 medium baking apples, such as Granny Smith (2 ½ to 3 pounds)
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup (50g to 100g) sugar, depending on tartness of apples
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Oat Topping
3/4 cup (65g) old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup (100g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100g) sugar, option: combine 1/4 cup brown sugar + 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square (or 2-quart) baking dish and set aside.
Core apples and cut them into 3/4-inch pieces.
Add the apples to a large bowl with orange zest, orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir, then taste. (If your apples are more tart, add more sugar.) Add the apples to the prepared baking dish.
Make the oat topping. Combine flour, oats, 1/2 cup (100g) sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until the flour is moistened by the butter and the topping is crumbly.
Sprinkle the topping over the apple filling. (We like to use our hands to do this. As we sprinkle, we press the crumbles together to create larger clumps of topping.)
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the juices are thickened, the apples are tender, and the topping has turned light golden brown. (Cover with aluminum foil if the topping becomes too brown, and continue to bake until the apples are tender.)
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Gluten-free apple crisp: Use you favorite store-bought gluten-free flour blend instead of the all-purpose flour called for above. We are partial to Bob’s Red Mill.
- Use whole wheat flour: Replace the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of whole wheat flour or use white whole wheat flour.
- Reduce the sugar: The sugar needed depends on how tart your apples are. We love the crisp to be slightly tart, so reducing the sugar with the apples and in the topping is an option.
- Storing: You can store leftover apple crisp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Make ahead: You can assemble it completely and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking. Or, you can freeze the unbaked crisp for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 1/4 cup of sugar for the apple filling.