A crunchy, crispy apple crisp is the best way to use up all those apples from the last harvest! To help you out, here’s our deliciously easy apple crisp recipe!
You’ll need a bag of apples and a few spices and sugar for the filling, as well as the oats and flour for that classic ‘crisp’ topping. Bake this delectable dessert in the oven, then serve hot with your favorite topping (we always go for ice cream!).
Keep reading, and find out how to bake delicious apple crisps.
The best apple crisp recipe
Our recipe for apple crisp makes 1 large apple crisp pie that’s good for at least 6 servings (presuming you like your slices big!). It takes around 20 minutes to prepare the filling and the apple crisp topping, then a further 45 minutes to bake!
Ingredients
- 6 large apples
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- 1 ¾ tsp of cinnamon powder
- 1 ½ tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 c of brown sugar
- ¾ c of rolled oats
- ¾ c of all-purpose flour
- ½ c of unsalted butter
- Salt to taste
Directions for easy apple crisp
- Start our old-fashioned apple crisp recipe by greasing a large baking dish and preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use an apple peeler to peel your apples, then use a sharp knife to slice them into chop them into small pieces.
- Mix together the peeled and chopped apples with 2 tbsp of sugar and ¾ tsp of cinnamon powder. Squeeze in lemon juice, and ensure that the ingredients are well combined. Place the mixture in the baking dish, so it forms an even layer on the bottom.
- Next, it’s time to make the homemade apple crisp topping (the ‘crisp’!). Mix together 1 cup of brown sugar with ¾ of a cup of rolled oats. Add ¾ of a cup of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp of cinnamon powder, and unsalted butter (dice the butter into small pieces first). Add a pinch of salt to taste. Keep mixing until you have a crumbly, crispy topping.
- Spread the crisp topping over the filling in the baking dish, and ensure that you have an even finish. Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and allow baking for 45 minutes. When the apple crisp is crispy on top and bubbling in the center, your easy apple crisp with oats is ready to enjoy!
- Serve piping hot, with your choice of topping.
How to make apple crisp: FAQ
What can I serve with an easy apple crisp?
Apple crisp is best served fresh and hot, and while it’s utterly delicious all on its own, adding a few extra toppings can really complement the appley, crispy goodness of this classic fall dessert.
We love adding a big scoop of vanilla ice cream to our apple crisp and watching it melt into the middle. You can try other flavors, too, of course. Whipped cream is another great topping, as is thick, double cream.
Apple crisp also goes well with hot or cold custard (particularly if its homemade custard!).
What are the best apples for apple crisp?
There’s really no secret to which apples you need to use for an apple crisp, because it really doesn’t matter! Any and all apples work well in this recipe, so it’s perfect for using up any bags of apples before they go moldy.
If you have a particular preference for a type of apple, then go for that variety. Some people enjoy the tartness of a Granny Smith, for instance, while others prefer the sweetest apples, such as Fuji's. You could even try scavenging crab apples from your local neighborhood (although you’ll need a lot of these tiny apples!).
For the ultimate apple crisp, you could try using a combination of sweet and tart, so the different flavors can bounce off one another (a mixture of Granny Smiths and Fuji's, for example).
Is an apple crisp an apple crumble?
Are apple crisps the same as an apple crumble? That’s a good question, and it depends on where you’re from! In the United Kingdom and other countries such as New Zealand or Australia, apple crisp is called an apple crumble.
In the US, however, the two are quite different desserts. Apple crisp has a topping of rolled oats, flour, and sugar, whereas a crumble has a topping that shouldn’t involve any oats. They are similar but still different.
Why is my apple crisp so watery?
One of the major difficulties that budding apple crisp bakers face is their completed dessert being too watery. Apple crisp fillings need to be soft, of course, but too much liquid ruins the texture and the taste.
If it’s too runny, then it’s possibly because the filling hasn’t been able to cook for long enough. This can be a problem, though, if your topping has already cooked (you don’t want to burn the crisp on top!).
One way around this is to par-bake the apple filling if it’s looking particularly juicy. Just put the apples into the oven for 10 minutes before adding the crisp to the baking dish. This allows your filling a chance to cook first!
Why is my apple crisp not crispy enough?
The other major problem encountered by apple crisp bakers is the crispy topping not being nearly crispy enough for their tastes. After all, you can’t have an apple crisp without a crispy finish, can you?
The most common cause of a lack of crispiness is simply a lack of butter. You really need to make sure you’re being liberal with the quantity of butter you add to the recipe, as it’s the butter that helps the topping to seriously crisp up when it’s being baked.
If you haven’t got enough butter, then the topping is going to be far too dry, and it won’t have a chance to become crispy in the oven, unfortunately. If it’s looking dry, add some more butter!
Easy apple crisp recipe: the last spoonful
Our apple crisp recipe is an easy way to make the most of all those apples you’ve got lying around in the cupboards! It’s a great recipe that’s not only packed with apples but packed with sweet, cinnamon goodness.
This recipe is perfect for the fall when there are mountains of apples around, but it can also be made any other time of the year too. If you’re looking for easy apple recipes, then why not bookmark our guide to baking an easy apple crisp?