Apple Crisp
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Apples bubbling under a crunchy oat-pecan streusel, this rustic apple crisp is the ultimate fall dessert.
This rustic apple crisp recipe with tart apples bubbling away in their juices under a golden brown buttery oat-pecan streusel is a longtime favorite of mine, thanks in part to its irresistibly crisp topping. In fact, it’s one of the very first recipes I shared on this blog many years ago. It tastes wonderful served warm out of the oven, but honestly, I like the cold leftovers with my morning coffee just as much! This crisp is perfect on its own, or you can take it up a notch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even caramel sauce.
“We went apple picking with the grandkids. When we got back we used this recipe. It was a total hit and gone quickly.”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Crisp
- All-Purpose Flour: Adds structure to the streusel topping, helping it to hold together and bake into a perfect crumbly texture.
- Light Brown Sugar: Provides sweetness and a hint of molasses flavor to the topping. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens both the apples and the streusel, balancing the tartness of the fruit and adding a lovely caramelization as it bakes.
- Butter: Creates a rich, crumbly texture in the streusel and helps it to crisp up in the oven. The streusel will come together best if the butter is very cold.
- Pecans: Add a nutty crunch to the topping.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Contribute to the crisp texture of the streusel, making it more substantial and giving it a rustic feel.
- Baking Apples: For the best results, use tart-sweet apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, or Golden Delicious. I love using a mix of different varietals for a more balanced and complex flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
In a food processor, pulse the flour with the brown sugar, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, and salt until combined, then add the chunks of butter.
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and stir in the pecans and oats. Set aside.
Generously butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the remaining 6 tablespoons granulated sugar. Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle with the oat topping and make sure it’s evenly distributed.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced and the topping is toasted. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Anytime you’re baking with apples whether it’s apple pie or applesauce, it’s a good idea to use a blend of tart and sweet baking apples for the best flavor. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious are all good options—try different varietals and see what combinations you like best.
You could just omit the pecans; the topping will still be deliciously crisp. Or you can substitute walnuts or almonds or a handful of unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
Sure! The baked apple crisp can be frozen, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. Before serving, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it, uncovered, in a 300°F oven until heated through and crisp on top.
Video Tutorial
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Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- Pinch salt
- 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2½ pounds tart baking apples (about 5 large), peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch (6-mm) thick
- Whipped cream or Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a food processor, pulse the flour with the brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) of the granulated sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and stir in the pecans and oats. Set aside.
- Generously butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the remaining 6 tablespoons granulated sugar. Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with the oat topping. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced and the topping is toasted. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The baked crisp can be frozen, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. Before serving, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it, uncovered, in a 300°F (150°C) oven until heated through and crisp on top.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Comments
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Another AMAZING recipe! Thank you JeNN!!
Hi! I have this in the oven right now 🙂 Something I’ve always wondered – when you write recipes, is the indicated weight/volume always *before* something is chopped? Like for the 2 1/2 lbs apples – is it 2 1/2 lbs of whole apples, knowing it’ll be more like 1.75 lbs once it’s peeeled and cored? Or, are you peeling/coring enough apples to reach 2 1/2 lbs total of slices?
Hi Katie, when the weight/volume is listed for a recipe ingredient, that’s what you should be buying at the store. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Would ambrosia apples work fine in this recipe?
Sure, they should work nicely. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn!
When you make this and your apple pie what kind of apples do you usually use?
Hi Jess, I like to use a blend of different types of apples (like Fuji, Granny Smith, Jonagolds, Jonathans, Golden Delicious, Gala, Honey Crisp). Hope you enjoy the crisp!
Had to laugh! My friends always tease me about the kind of apples I put in my pie. I always start with 2 Granny Smiths, then mix up the others! Good to see someone else does that! They think I am crazy……but they still love the pie!
Hi. I can’t wait to make this and freeze it for the upcoming Jewish holidays. Do I defrost it before reheating or bake again straight from the freezer? Thanks.
Hi Marsha, I would thaw it before reheating it. (I’m going to add that to the freezer-friendly directions). Enjoy!
thanks!
No amount of flour or brown sugar, or oats are listed, nor is the amount of chunks of butter. I am HIGHLY disappointed.
What about the ingredients/amounts for each topping item?
Maureen Humphreys
Hi Maureen, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn,
Absolutely love all your recipes. You’re my go to for baking/cooking and the only chef I now follow or always recommend. Thank you, , Jenn! Quick question: would this recipe (or any of your crumbles/cobblers) work with using frozen blackberries as the fruit? Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks for your kind words about the recipes — so glad you like them! If you want to use blackberries, I’d suggest using my blueberry cobbler recipe. Keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with blackberries so I can’t say for sure how it will come out. The blackberries may give off too much juice on their own so if you want to try it, I’d suggest doing a combination of blackberries and blueberries. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make it!
I can’t tell you how much I enjoy making your recipes as well as incorporating the tips and comments into my own dishes. This apple crips and the peach crisp are two of my faves. I froze the prepared peaches when I had some fresh from the farmer’s market and also froze the prepared crumble topping. I used up the peaches, but had some topping mix left over in the freezer… so, a smaller batch of apple crisp was on the menu. It was perfect! And as a universal crumble topping to keep on hand, it works well. I added my own spice mix to it and saved it in a zip lock bag. Alway be prepared for any type of crisp… so good, and thanks so much for sharing your recipes
So do I just increase the flour in the food processor or do I just stir it with the pecans.
I would include the additional flour in the food processor.
Can you make this without oats?
Sure, you can replace the oats with flour. I’d love to hear how it turns out!