Easy Apple Crisp
This easy apple crisp recipe is the best you will ever taste. Quick to prepare and bursting with flavor between the apple filling and oat crumble topping. A simple list of ingredients and straightforward preparation makes this THE apple crisp recipe to keep in your arsenal. Your fall baking just got significantly tastier!
I can’t wait for another month or so, to be sitting at my kitchen table gazing out the window at our wooded hillside, seeing every different shade of green, yellow, orange and red starting back at me. The leaves changing are one of my favorite parts of fall and one of the main reasons I don’t think I could ever live somewhere full-time that didn’t experience all four seasons.
Do you go apple picking this time of year? I’ve never done it, but every time I scroll through my Facebook feed during the fall, I’m inundated with pictures of friends with their kids traipsing through orchards and collecting buckets of apples. If you’re overrun with apples, or are just looking for a great fall recipe, this apple crisp will win over your fall-loving heart in mere seconds.
How to Make Easy Apple Crisp
I’ve made a lot of apple crisp recipes in the past, and while they were good, nothing really struck me as heads and tails above the rest… until I made this recipe. It is quite literally the BEST apple crisp I’ve ever had.
So, what makes this apple crisp so utterly amazing?
SO. MUCH. APPLE. FLAVOR.
Let’s discuss…
The Apple Filling
Here are the components for the filling:
- Apples
- Apple cider
- AND boiled cider. The boiled cider is optional, but if you can use it, absolutely do so! It packs a seriously concentrated punch of apple flavor that I adore. (I buy it from King Arthur Flour.)
- Flour to thicken the juices
- Brown sugar to sweeten the apples
- Melted butter to enhance the flavor
- A combination of spices that don’t overpower but give the crisp a wonderfully warm fall flavor.
Perhaps the most common question I receive is:
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What kind of apples are best to use for apple crisp? Truthfully, most any apple or combination of apples will work, so use your favorites (or the haul from a recent apple-picking excursion).
The only caution I have is that McIntosh apples are pretty soft and will break down when baking, so if you want to use them, I would do so in combination with another, firmer variety.
The Apple Crisp Topping
This is a wonderful crumb topping (flour, sugar, butter) and I love the addition of oats for a topping that’s hearty, and the crust lover in me has a tremendous appreciation for the ratio of topping to filling. It is NOT skimpy and provides the perfect balance to the warm apple filling. You can add some chopped walnuts or pecans for extra texture and flavor, if you’d like.
If you’re wondering what the difference is between an apple crisp and apple crumble, here’s a quick explanation:
It’s all in the topping! Both are baked fruit desserts, but crisps traditionally have oats in the topping, while crumbles are made without oats. And if you’re curious, cobblers are made with a biscuit topping!
Making Ahead and Freezing Apple Crisp
This apple crisp really lends itself to making ahead and reheating. Below are some tips:
- Preparing Ahead – I do not recommend assembling the crisp and letting it sit for hours or overnight before baking, as the apples will start to break down. Instead, go ahead and bake the apple crisp, allow it to cool, then cover and store as directed in the recipe below. Reheat in a 325-degree oven until warmed through.
- Freezing – Bake and cool the crisp as directed below. Cover with a double layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in a refrigerator overnight then reheat in a 325-degree oven until warmed all the way through.
So there you have it – the end all and be all of apple crisp recipes. All that’s left is to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have the absolute perfect fall dessert.
Now, grab your favorite apples and get baking!
If You Like This Apple Crisp Recipe, Try These:
- Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting
- Apple Dumplings
- Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling & Praline Frosting
- Apple Hand Pies
- Jewish Apple Cake
- Easy Apple Pie Recipe
- Homemade Apple Butter
Five years ago: Caramelized Pear Tart
Six years ago: Moussaka
Easy Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 3 pounds (1.36 kg) apples, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick (about 9 cups)
- ¼ cup (59 ml) apple cider
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons boiled cider , optional
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
For the Topping
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (40.5 g) quick oats
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ⅔ cup (146.67 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, chilled and sliced into 8 portions
- ½ cup (58.5 g) chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square pan, or other 2½-quart baking dish.
- Prepare the Apples: Toss the apples with the apple cider, brown sugar, flour, melted butter, boiled cider (if using), cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt, and spread the mixture in the prepared pan.
- Make the Topping: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, forks, or your fingers, until mixture resembles large, uneven crumbs. Toss in the chopped nuts (if using). Spread the topping evenly over the apples in the pan.
- Bake the Apple Crisp: Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper or foil and place the pan with the apple crisp on top (to catch any potential drips). Bake the crisp until it’s bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 55 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Use your favorite type of apples or a combination of varieties.
- You can substitute apple juice, liquor of your choice, or water for the apple cider.
- You can substitute 1½ teaspoons apple pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
- To make in a 9×13-inch pan, increase the ingredients by 1.5.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I made this several times during the fall of 2020. I even went so far as to get the boiled cider from King Arthur Flour. My husband is already asking me when we’re going to the local orchard to get more apples so I can make this again this year. It is a wonderful and easy recipe, such good flavor. Thank you, Michelle, for sharing your recipe!
I am making this for Christmas brunch and it’s in the oven now! I used half Granny Smith, half Fuji apples and reduced them to 2.25 pounds. Then to make it holiday appropriate, I added 12 ounces of frozen cranberries. It smells divine!
This really is the best recipe! I made this for a large gathering and everyone loved it. I used Haralson apples and doubled the recipe, using a 10×15 (5 quart) glass baking dish. It was perfection!
We are over a month into the COVID-19 quarantine and no one wants to eat the healthy snacks anymore, so my organic Gala apples are languishing on the kitchen counter. Inspiration strikes. I think, “Aha!! I’ll trick them into eating the apples another way!”
Cut to finding this recipe by Brown-Eyed Baker. I had almost all the ingredients on hand; only the apple cider was missing…but wait! One can of Austin Eastciders Pineapple Cider had somehow escaped our Corona-coping. Epiphany! I’ll make a substitution!
Now, I’m sure the original recipe would have been quite tasty, but that quarter cup of pineapple cider elevated the apple crisp to a whole new dimension. The clouds parted, and angels began to sing. Birds fluttered to the windowsill, and tiny mice began fashioning a ball gown of my toilet paper stash. And as I turned from this fairytale scene, I notice that the apple crisp has completely disappeared and I am left with another dirty dish to scrub.
#cinderella #austineastciders #pineapplecider
Could you help me with the “increase ingredients by 1.5” conversion for a 9×13 baking dish? Would that mean that a tsp of cinnamon would be 2.5 tsp instead? Or am I just multiplying the ingredient by 1.5…so it would be 1.5 tsp? (I’m math challenged, but I love your recipes!)
Hi Amy, You would be multiplying the ingredients by 1.5 so yes, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon would be 1.5 teaspoons. Enjoy!
Five stars only because there was no higher rating. This crisp is packed with apple flavor, and is fast and easy. We used fresh apples from one of our trees, along with some reduced fresh apple juice that we had made previously. If you don’t have access to fresh apples, use a combination of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples for the main crisp, and reduce some bottled apple juice by about half to use for the liquid. This concentrated apple flavor really punches up the flavor, and helps to balance the brown sugar and cinnamon. Speaking of cinnamon, my wife thought it was a little heavy, but it was perfect to my taste. In our little western Washington town, apple trees are common, and our three trees produce so prodigiously that the crop borders on nuisance some years. I’ve been pressing and freezing apples for the juice, and am always looking for new recipes to share with friends and family. This one is a keeper, thanks.
I should clarify: We used reduced apple cider for the liquid, instead of the much more intense boiled cider added to regular apple cider. Either way, you’re trying to punch up the apple flavor in the liquid a little.
How awesome…a husband that has an apple tree that he takes care of…..and makes apple crisp?! Wow.
I’m making this for Thanksgiving and need to use Gluten Free oats and the only ones I can get are rolled oats, not quick cook. Any ideas if this will have a negative impact?
(I’ll be using a GF flour mix instead too – which I hope will work as at least one other person used tapioca flour without issue. *crossing my fingers*)
Just made this and followed recipe exactly as written, did not add boiled cider since I had none, and it is delicious! My son said it is a keeper. I’m looking forward to trying more recipes on this site. Thank you!
My crisp didn’t crisp as much as I expected, but I reduced the sugar content of the topping. Could that cause the topping to be softer? Flavour and taste were excellent though.
Hi Missy, Definitely, any time you reduce/increase one ingredient without doing so with the rest, it can impact the taste/texture.
Made this tonight. Loved it! I doubled the recipe. I saw online where I could make my own boiled cider so this is what I used. It was delicious!