The Only Apple Crisp Recipe You'll Ever Need (2024)

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Meghan Splawn

Meghan Splawn

Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.

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updated Aug 31, 2023

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The Only Apple Crisp Recipe You'll Ever Need (1)

This one-bowl apple crisp recipe is packed with lightly sweetened, warmly spiced apples and finished with a buttery oat topping.

Serves8Prep30 minutesCook1 hour

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The Only Apple Crisp Recipe You'll Ever Need (2)

Apple crisp is the lazy baker’s best friend. It delivers all the flavor and satisfaction of apple pie, but in half the amount of time. Tender, lightly sweetened, warmly spiced apples get dressed up with a sprinkle of buttery old-fashioned oats that crack under the pressure of a spoon. It’s truly the only crisp recipe you need for fall.

Quick Overview

4 Key Steps for the Best, Easiest Apple Crisp

1. Apple choice matters. Granny Smith is our first choice, since its tartness holds up against the sweetness of the crisp topping, and they always bake up tender but not mushy.

2. Use the same bowl for the filling and topping. Once you’ve tossed the apples into the baking dish, use the same bowl to mix up the oat topping.

3. Melted butter makes for clumpier, crunchier crisp. Skip trying to work cold butter into flour for a crunchy crisp topping and use melted butter instead.

4. Bubbles are key for baking. The crisp should be bubbling when you take it out — not just around the edges, but in the center as well.

Apple crisp requires just a few basic ingredients, an abundance of apples, and a warm oven. Here’s how to make the best, easiest apple crisp, plus tips for having the topping on hand all fall long.

Why Apple Crisp Is So Much Easier than Pie

Most crisps are easy enough — you just need some fresh fruit and pantry staples — but we’re making this one even easier by using just one pan and one bowl, and finishing it with the easiest topping. In fact, it’s so simple you’ll quickly be able to make this recipe by heart.

Make-Ahead Apple Crisp

I’m quite biased, but keeping some crisp topping on standby in the freezer is one of my secrets to a happier fall. While the crisp bakes, mix up an extra batch or two of the topping and stash it in the freezer. You just made the next batch of crisp even easier on yourself.

Comments

Apple Crisp Recipe

This one-bowl apple crisp recipe is packed with lightly sweetened, warmly spiced apples and finished with a buttery oat topping.

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 1 hour

Serves 8

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 2 pounds

    Granny Smith apples

  • 1/2

    small lemon

  • 1/2 cup

    granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons

    cornstarch

  • 1 teaspoon

    ground cinnamon

For the topping:

  • 12 tablespoons

    (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish

  • 1 1/2 cups

    old-fashioned rolled oats

  • 1 cup

    all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup

    packed light brown sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon

    pure vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 9x9-inch glass baking dish

  • Measuring cups and spoons

  • Mixing bowls

  • Gallon-size zip-top freezer bag (optional)

  • Whisk

  • Wire rack

Instructions

Show Images

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and prepare the baking dish. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch square glass baking dish with butter; set aside.

  2. Prepare the topping and filling ingredients. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter) into a few pieces and melt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Set aside to cool. Peel, core, and cut 2 pounds Granny Smith apples into 1/4-inch thick slices. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 small lemon until you get 1 tablespoon.

  3. Make the fruit filling. Whisk 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch together in a large bowl to break up any lumps. Add the apples and lemon juice and toss gently to coat. Transfer to the baking dish and spread into an even layer.

  4. Make the crisp topping. Place the 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium or large bowl — it can be the bowl that was just used for the apples — and stir until combined. Drizzle the melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract over the oat mixture and stir to combine.

  5. Top the crisp. Scatter the crisp topping evenly over the fruit mixture, leaving large clumps intact.

  6. Bake the crisp for 50 to 60 minutes. Bake until the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges of the baking dish and the topping is golden and firm to the touch, 50 to 60 minutes.

  7. Cool the crisp. Let the crisp cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. If transporting to a picnic or party, let the crisp cool completely to give the fruit filling time to set.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The crisp topping can be made in advance. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.

Storage: The cooled crisp can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Serve cold, room temperature, or re-warmed in a low oven for 20 minutes.

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The Only Apple Crisp Recipe You'll Ever Need (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between apple crumble and apple crisp? ›

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

What are the best apples to make apple crisp? ›

When it comes to finding the best apple for your crisp, go with a crisp, tart variety that stands up well to baking, like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Or, go for it – try mixing the two together if you've got both on hand. Golden Delicious is another great choice for crisp hausarbeit schreiben lassen kosten.

Why do you put lemon juice over the apples when making an apple crisp? ›

Lemon juice prevents oxidation of the apples, which means that it stops the slices from turning brown by providing a barrier between the apple's flesh and the air.

What is the difference between apple Betty and apple crisp? ›

Both are very similar apple desserts, but the difference mainly comes down to the crumble topping: Instead of the flour and oat mixture used in an apple crisp, an apple brown betty uses breadcrumbs for its crumbly, delicious topping.

How do you keep apple crisp from getting soggy? ›

How do you keep apple crisp from getting soggy? If it's soggy, you've got to remember to refrigerate the topping with butter before you add it to the crisp. It doesn't need long, just enough time as you prepare the rest of the dessert so that it will cook up crispy rather than turn soggy.

Why is my apple crumble topping not crunchy? ›

The main reason your crumble topping isn't crunchy is probably because you haven't used Demerara sugar. Although, it could also be that you've got your topping ingredient quantities wrong: either too much or not enough flour and butter alongside the sugar.

Should I cover my apple crisp while baking? ›

Baking: Start baking the apple crisp covered with foil. This allows the apples to soften without any risk of the topping over-browning. After about 20 minutes, remove the foil and let the crisp finish cooking uncovered. Once the juices are bubbling, the topping is golden brown, and the apples are tender, it is done!

Why is my apple crisp topping dry? ›

Not enough butter, and your topping will be a dry, floury mess. Too much butter and your topping will become a greasy blob or disappointingly soggy. Some recipes will ask you to cut in cold butter along with your dry ingredients, resulting in pea-size pieces that are sprinkled across the hot fruit filling.

What is the sweetest and most crisp apple? ›

Fuji. Due to their low acidity, these ultra-sweet, crispy and juicy apples are a go-to choice for snacking and baking, as well as homemade baby food or apple butters.

How to make apple crisp not watery? ›

Lemon juice and vanilla extract – both of these are for complexity of flavor in your apple filling. You could leave them out if you don't have them, but they make a noticeable difference in the final product. Cornstarch or arrowroot starch – this is how we get a thick and not watery apple crisp!

Why add flour to apple crisp? ›

Flour- Flour helps to create the perfect topping and bind it all together. I used all-purpose. You can definitely substitute with gluten-free flour but I'm not sure how oat flour, coconut flour or almond flour would work. Butter- The butter gives the best flavor and texture and holds together the dry ingredients.

Are Gala apples good for baking apple crisp? ›

You can use one variety or a mix. Our test kitchen prefers baking apples, like Rome or Cortland for apple crisp. We've also tried and liked this recipe when made with other common varieties like Empire, Gala, or Braeburn.

Which apple makes the best apple crisp? ›

The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

What is a sonker? ›

Although much debated, sonker is a deep-dish pie, juicier than cobbler, and typically served in a rectangular baking dish. It was a dessert large enough to feed a big family or farmhands who'd spent the day working in the fields. It was often baked in a bread pan that fit inside a wood-burning stove.

Why is it called a buckle cake? ›

A buckle is a funny name for an old fashioned fruit studded coffee cake. Like many other desserts in the extended cobbler family buckles take their name from their appearance—grunts grunt as they cook, slumps slump when served, buckles—you guessed it—buckle.

What is the difference between a crumble and a crisp and a cobbler? ›

Cobbler: A fruit dessert made with a top crust of pie dough or biscuit dough but no bottom crust. Crisp/crumble: In Alberta, the terms are mostly interchangeable. Both refer to fruit desserts similar to cobbler but made with a brown sugar streusel topping sometimes containing old-fashioned rolled oats.

What is apple crumble called in America? ›

Apple crisp is a dessert made with a streusel topping. In the US, it is also called apple crumble, a word which refers to a different dessert in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Ingredients usually include cooked apples, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and often oats and brown sugar, ginger, and/or nutmeg.

Is apple crisp and apple pie the same thing? ›

Crust or crumble…that's what the main difference between apple pie and apple crisp comes down to. A traditional apple pie features a buttery, flaky crust encasing the apple filling. Apple crisps, on the other hand, have a crunchy, crumbly coating on top (and nothing on the bottom).

Why is it called a apple crumble? ›

Apple crumble was probably invented in the 1940s as an alternative to traditional apple pie. Because of the war, it was harder to get the ingredients for pastry (flour and butter),so instead people made a little 'crumble' from fat and flour and just sprinkled it on top of the stewed fruit.

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