The Apple Crisp I’ve Been Making For Years.
I jotted this apple crisp recipe into the notes app in my phone several years ago, and I return to it every fall.
This apple crisp is it for me.
Jammy, cinnamon-scented apples baked under a heavy (and I do mean heavy) blanket of buttery crumble.
I remember first making this in our old kitchen for a late-October dinner party – I made wild rice soup and apple cider old fashioneds (unreal), and someone pulled out the guitar just as the smell of apple crisp was floating from the oven. Absolutely charmed. I obviously bonded with this specific apple crisp that night and it has been with me ever since.
Why it’s good, if you ask me: the caramely apple layer underneath gets properly jammy, the topping gets properly crisp – just enough to provide contrast, AND, and, and, where the two layers melt together in the middle is just pure fall magic. Soft, buttery, and delicious.
Apple crisp in general is very simple, and this one feels rustic, almost, especially if you make it in a cast iron pan, which I usually do. Is she making apple crisp or is she living out her dreams from Little House on the Prairie on a chilly fall night? We’ll never know.
Hope this brings you lots of fall cozy!
How To Make Apple Crisp (In Photos!)
1
Apple Layer.
Toss apples with sugar, cinnamon, and flour. This photo shows apples that have been thinly sliced on a mandoline. You can also dice them! Both delicious.
2
Crumble Layer.
I stir it up with a spoon or fork, and then bring it together into crumbles with my hands.
3
Layer.
Apples on bottom, crumble on top.
4
Bake!
It’ll turn into a beautiful golden crumble with a layer of jammy apples underneath.
Apple Crisp
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 servings
Description
My one-and-only apple crisp recipe! Tender jammy honeycrisp apples under a blanket of buttery brown sugar oat topping. The perfect fall treat!
Ingredients
Apples:
- 6 cups diced apples (I use 4-5 large Honeycrisp, unpeeled)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Topping:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix Apple Filling: Toss diced apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a large bowl until well-coated. Transfer to a 9×9 baking dish or a cast-iron skillet.
- Mix Topping: Mix melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Stir together with a spoon or fork. If needed, use your hands to bring the mixture together into a crumble; distribute evenly over the apples in the pan.
- Bake: Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the apples are jammy-looking around the edges, and the topping is golden brown.
- Rest and Serve: Let stand for 10-15 minutes, so the apple layer can cool and thicken slightly. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
This can work with or without peeling the apples. Personally, I don’t peel the apples – I am lazy, and I just can’t be bothered to mess with what is already a perfectly good fruit. The peels cook down the same way the apples do, so they become soft and unobtrusive in the apple crisp.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: apple crisp, classic apple crisp, apple crisp recipe, fall dessert
Hi! Can this be frozen after baking?
Thanks!
Yes!
I love sweets but this is just a crazy amount of sugar. If I make this again, I’d likely use 1/3-1/2 of the sugar called for.
I have made this twice in the past two weeks and shared the recipe with so many people. It is the perfect fall comfort dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I love that it is so easy and so delicious and uses ingredients I pretty much always have on hand!
Hubby said this is the best apple crisp he has ever had & I have to agree!
And trust me that is saying a lot, since this girl would trade almost anything for it at her school lunch. It is so tasty with plenty of topping. 🙂
This is the best dessert I have ever made. I made it twice in less than 5 days for different events with friends and everyone loved it! Super easy too!
This apple crisp topping is so delicious. This recipe was amazing. We gobbled it up.
What size cast iron?
10-inch!
Can you use frozen apple slices?
Thanks
We haven’t tested that!
This recipe is amazing!
Thank you for making the one and only apple crisp recipe I need. My Decide once recipe!!!
This recipe is absolute perfection! Baked in a cast iron pan, and topped with vanilla ice cream- you can’t beat this one! *Chef’s kiss
Thanks for making the recipe!
I’ve made this apple crisp twice and my family and I love it. It’s delicious, the topping is crisp and the ratio of apples to crisp is perfect. Thank you for sharing this absolutely wonderful recipe. I’m sure it will see regular rotation in our house.
Twice! Love to hear it!
Very good! I would maybe add a bit more cinnamon but that’s because I love cinnamon and maybe a little less sugar or brown sugar but it was great. Maybe a smidge sweet for me but super easy!
Absolutely delicious! So easy with not having to peel the apples. I used Cosmic Crisp because they’re my favorite and this did not disappoint. Made the house smell amazing and tasted even better!!!!
Making an apple crumb pie so doubled the topping recipe. Just FYI — you’ll want 2 sticks of butter to make one cup of butter. When you click the “2x” button it says one cup but still says 1 stick, which is 1/2c.
So excited to try this. I get confused about the type of oats. Old fashioned, steel cut, instant…..ack!!! When you say rolled oats – do you have a specific type or brand you recommend, or do you think anything would work?
We mean old fashioned oats!
This is the perfect apple crisp recipe! Very easy to make, and the topping is delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This was SO GOOD!
Can’t wait to add cranberries next time!
Had no ice cream but drizzled cream cheese icing over it!!
Thank you!
Oh, great idea with adding some fresh cranberries!
Yep! This is the one!
I have a gluten free family member. Can this be made with almond flour?
Thanks I love your recipes have been making them for years!
I would use the bob mills gluten free 1:1 flour
Could you use peaches instead of apples?
Hello! We have an awesome peach cobbler that maybe you’d like.
Made this last night while a friend was over – the whole family LOVED it. Definitely serve with vanilla ice cream and also, it was so so easy to put together. thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this last night, and it’s now the whole family’s favorite apple crisp. Easy to make and very, very delicious!
Love hearing that!
I made this last night and it was incredible! I’m curious if this recipe would work for blueberries though.. my husband loves blueberry crisp!
Hi, glad you loved it! Here is our blueberry crisp recipe.
If I want to make in a 9×13 dish would I need to double it? Or just a recipe and maybe a half?
Hi! You would double it for a 9×13 inch pan.