Traditional apple desserts for the holidays can be complicated. That’s why my Easy Apple Crisp recipe is my go-to dessert during this season. It has a warm caramel sauce, spiced granny smith apples, and a delicious oat topping that is baked to bubbly, crispy perfection.
The Best Apple Crisp
In my humble the best yet easiest apple crisp recipe features a thing I call “loose caramel”. Instead of standing over a store and vigorously whisking a caramel sauce, that can quickly burn if not vigilant – this easy apple crisp recipe includes a caramel-slurry of sorts.
It’s a genius combination of melted butter, flour, water, and lemon juice that is simply whisked in bowl. It has a thin ribbon-like consistency, that coats apples extremely well. For flavor, the loose caramel includes vanilla extract, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Last, but certainly not forgotten, is the crispy oat topping. A great apple crisp must include some texture in the topping. Thus, I always use rolled, old-fashioned oats. I then compliment them with (of course) brown sugar, ground cinnamon, butter and a pinch of salt.
What Kind of Apples are Best?
This is matter of preference. It all comes down to taste and texture. My easy apple crisp recipe includes granny smiths because they are historically the best apples for baking. They hold their shape well and don’t turn into a soft, mushy mess. However, they are slightly tart (which I love).
If you like a sweeter apple, with similar texture attributes to a granny smith, I recommend Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious apples.
Tips and Tricks
- Peel your apples. This step I think makes all difference. Apple peels (even from granny smiths) tend to become slimy and wacky when baked for long periods.
- Cool the oat topping. Before adding the topping over the apples, make sure the butter in that topping is nice and hard. Instructions call for cold butter when preparing the topping. But with the warmth from the food processor or your hands, the butter softens. To stop the softening, pop the topping in the fridge of freezer one last time BEFORE adding it over your apples.
Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 2 pounds granny smith apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
Oat Crisp Topping
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter (cubed)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).
- Begin by preparing crisp topping. In a bowl, whisk flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add cold diced butter to dry ingredients and crumble together using hands or food processor. Mixture should resemble wet sand. Cool topping in fridge while preparing the apple filling.
- In another bowl, whisk melted butter and flour until paste consistency. Then stir in water, lemon juice, vanilla extract, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mixture should resemble a "loose caramel."
- Peel, core and slice apples. Pour "loose caramel" over sliced apples and toss until well coated.
- Place coated apples in a greased baking dish and sprinkle an even layer of crisp topping. Bake in oven for 35 minutes until apple are tender and topping is golden brown.
- Rest for 10 minutes and serve with ice cream. Enjoy!
