This classic apple crisp recipe can be prepped in just 10 minutes and ready within an hour! My recipe uses melted butter for an incredibly buttery flavor without ever touching a pastry cutter. Recipe includes a how-to video!
My Favorite Apple Crisp
Picture it now…warm, sugared and spiced juicy apples baked to tender perfection beneath a generous blanket of buttery crisp…are you ready for fall yet? Make a batch of this apple crisp, and you’ll be there in no time!
My recipe is:
- So easy to make (just 10 minutes to prep!) WITHOUT the need for a pastry cutter.
- A great way to use up apples if you tend to be a bit overzealous with your apple picking like I am (apple butter and apple fritters are other options too!).
- Perfect for making in advance or freezing; check the FAQ section below for details.
- Absolutely sinful with scoop of vanilla ice cream–in my house, this is non-negotiable!
- Classic and comforting. It’s just so quintessentially *fall* 🍂
Apple crisp is one of my favorite fall recipes, and with fall officially arriving this month, I thought it was about time I re-share this recipe with you!
What You Need
You can make this recipe with a few pantry staples (butter, sugar, flour, etc.). Honestly, isn’t that part of what makes comfort food so good?
- Apples. Similar to my apple pie recipe, I recommend using granny smith apples for this recipe. A firm, tart apple works well here, but you can also use a semisweet apple, like gala or honeycrisp (these are also great for making apple dumplings, so if you have any leftovers, try that recipe!). I typically need about 7 small apples to get 2 cups.
- Oats. We’ll be using old fashioned rolled oats today, just like when making my oatmeal raisin cookies. Honestly, I even think the crisp part of this recipe even tastes like a crumbled oatmeal cookie!
- Brown sugar. I add light brown sugar to both the apples and the crisp components of this recipe. Dark brown sugar could work too, but the flavor will be richer.
- Cinnamon. Apples and cinnamon go together like peanut butter and jelly–we simply can’t make apple crisp without it! I add cinnamon to the apples and the crisp for extra flavor.
- Melted butter. If you’ve made my streusel recipe, you know how much of a game changer melted butter can be when making a crumb topping! Today’s crisp is no different. Not only is this method so much easier than using cold butter and a pastry cutter, but it also yields a more buttery flavor!
SAM’S TIP: This recipe was designed for a tart or sweet/tart apple, so if you use sweeter apples, keep in mind that this will result in a sweeter crisp.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Apple Crisp
- Toss the sliced apples with brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set this aside while you prepare your crisp. This will start to break down the apples a bit and make them juicy, much like macerating strawberries.
- Whisk together the melted butter and vanilla extract, then set this aside.
- Stir the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl, then drizzle the melted butter mixture overtop. Toss this mixture together with a fork until it is clumpy, but don’t go too far that you turn it into a paste.
- Stir the apples one more time before transferring them into a buttered 9×9 or 11×7 baking dish.
- Scatter the crisp evenly overtop, then bake at 375F for 50 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping is a light golden brown. You can cover the crisp with foil if it starts to get too dark while baking.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: Crisp is not the same thing as cobbler! Crisps generally have a crumblier, crispier topping that’s made primarily of butter, sugar, and oats (though some sources argue that crumbles have oats while crisps never do, I disagree). Cobblers have a biscuit-like topping that looks like cobbled road. If you’d like to make apple cobbler instead, you could always make the apple base from this recipe and the cobbler topping from my blueberry cobbler. I’d recommend baking as instructed in that recipe for best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prepare the apples and place in your pan as instructed, then cover and refrigerate. Make the crumble topping and store that in a separate airtight container in the fridge.
When you are ready to bake, uncover your apples, scatter the prepared topping on top (it might be a little firm, just break it up with a fork), and bake according to recipe instructions.
Yes! To freeze before baking, prepare the crisp as instructed, then cover and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, transfer to the fridge and thaw for several hours or overnight, then uncover and bake at 350F.
To freeze an apple crisp that’s already been baked, first allow it to cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, uncover, and bake at 350F until warmed through, about 20 minutes.
Cool it completely and then cover with plastic wrap or foil. You can store it at room temperature for 24 hours or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Note that the topping does tend to soften as it sits, so I recommend reheating in the oven to restore the crispiness.
I promise I’m not trying to rush summer away, but with the heat finally letting up a bit, I can’t help but feel a little bit excited about fall baking!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Apple Crisp Recipe
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 340kcal
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Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and lightly grease a 9×9 or 11×7 glass baking dish² with butter. Set a side.
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Combine sliced apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Give everything a good stir until all ingredients are combined and set aside while you prepare your crisp topping.
2 lbs (905 g) apples, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
Crisp
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Prepare your topping by whisking together butter and vanilla extract. Set aside (you don’t want the butter to be too hot when you add your sugar, so let it cool while you prepare your dry ingredients)
9 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
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In a separate bowl, stir together flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
¾ cup (95 g) all purpose flour, 1 cup (100 g) old fashioned oats, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Pour butter into flour mixture and use a fork to stir until mixture is combined and clumpy (don’t over-stir, you want it to be crumbly, not paste-like). Set aside.
Assembly
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Give your apple mixture another good stir and pour evenly into your prepared pan.
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Use your hands to drop your crumble mixture evenly overtop your apple filling.
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Transfer to 375F (190C) oven and bake for 50 minutes or until topping is lightly golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. If topping is starting to become too dark and apples are still crisp, cover apple crisp with foil while continuing to bake.
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Serve warm (preferably topped with ice cream!)
Notes
¹Apples
This was about 7 smallish apples for me. I recommend using Granny Smith apples as they are firm and tart. Using a sweeter apple may result in a sweeter crisp that cooks faster, so keep that in mind!
²Baking pan
This recipe will work in a metal pan, but it will likely need to cook for less time so keep an eye on it and start checking sooner.
Video note
I accidentally say to use ¼ cup of oats in the video. The amount listed in the recipe (1 cup) is the correct amount.
See FAQ section of post for detailed instructions on storing apple crisp, making it ahead, or freezing it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 371mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 950IU | Vitamin C: 15.7mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.4mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Recipe originally published 10/08/2018.
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