This Apple Crisp recipe is the best fall dessert! Fresh sliced apples are topped with a buttery cinnamon oat topping that tastes divine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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My family took a little trip to a local apple orchard this past weekend. It wasn’t really the best day to go; it was drizzling, and the temps were in the 50s.
But our kids still had a good time, especially since it was their first time going apple picking. Plus, we came home with a “peck” of apples to put to good use!
I knew right away that I wanted to make apple crisp.
We were lucky enough to pick my favorite kind of apples, Honeycrisp. Their sweet yet tart nature and sturdy composition make an irresistible dessert!
How to Make Homemade Apple Crisp – Step by Step
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a baking dish with butter. Grab a large bowl and combine about 5 cups of sliced apples (this comes to about 2 pounds of apples, or 4 large ones) with some granulated sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
- Pour that yummy goodness into your baking dish. Next make the topping by combining flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour in some melted butter and stir until well coated and crumbly (I usually put my hands in there to get it mixed up well). Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the apples.
- Now pop that dish into your waiting oven for 45-60 minutes, and get ready for heavenly smells to start floating your way! I cook mine until my apples are soft and tender. Once it’s done baking, allow it to cool slightly then serve. It tastes amazing warm with some vanilla ice cream on top!
What kind of apples work best for Apple Crisp?
This kind of comes down to preference, or what you have available, but generally you’re going to want a variety of apple that will hold its shape after baking and not turn to total mush. We had a huge bag of Honeycrisp apples (my personal favorite) to use up, so that’s what I used. Granny Smith are usually considered the best apples for apple pie, but Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Pink Lady apples would all work well for this recipe, or for a pie.
Do I need to peel the apples?
My short answer for this is no! But that’s because I don’t like to do more work than I have to, and I don’t mind apple peels, especially once they’re baked. If you would prefer yours without the peel, though, feel free to remove them!
More Tips
- I slice my apples using this slicer to speed up the process and remove the core easily. I then slice the apples one more time each with my knife so that the widest part of the slice is roughly 1/2 an inch wide. You can also chop them into big chunks if you would prefer, but just make sure that you chop your apples to a uniform size to ensure even baking.
- If your topping is starting to get too brown but your apples still need more time to cook, simply place some aluminum foil loosely over the top of your pan and continue baking.
- Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would be a delicious addition to the topping! I didn’t add any to ours because my son has a nut allergy.
More Awesome Apple recipes
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The Best Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Filling:
- 5 cups fresh apples,, sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter,, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep dish pie plate or large baking dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the sliced apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and mix until all of the apples are evenly coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate medium size bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter and stir until well coated and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the apples.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes until fruit is soft and the topping is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top. Enjoy!
JoAnne says
I keep making this recipe. Its become a family favorite!
Jillt says
Such a wonderful dessert on a cool, fall day! We absolutely loved it and will be making again in the near future.
Stacie says
The best….I will never follow another recipe again
Thank you!
Tanya says
I made the apple crisp and used a 1 qt glass baking dish. I used honeycrisp apples. I also used my peeler/corer for the apples. I measured 5 cups of apples and wish I would have used more. My apples cooked down to nothing….
I’ll know next time. Oh, and if you don’t have vanilla ice cream, half and half is yummy!!
James says
Awesome recipe. I made a few changes: I added a bit more oats to the topping, added a bit more butter too, and added some roasted pecans (chopped) to the topping as well. [Basically I put the pecans in the pie plate, inside the preheating oven, for about 8 mins while prepping other stuff). It was delish! And, several people at the party commented on how much they loved the pecans (I got lucky on that one — I personally love roasted pecans).
Kim says
If you are even thinking of making this recipe, go to your kitchen and make it now. It’s that good. Very little effort. Your family will love you for it. I dotted the top with butter and added walnuts.
Delicious!
Jordan Vanessa says
Thank you so much for all your lovely recipes.
C says
Delicious! I doubled the recipe and added 4 tablespoons of minute tapioca. It came out beautifully carmalized.
Judy says
Not pleased with topping
Joshua Brist says
Far too sweet. I did slightly less sugar and twice the oats and it still is too much. I will use half the sugar next time or do apple juice for a portion of the sweetener.
Used lemon juice and vanilla ice cream on top. Could be a great recipe but isn’t there yet.
Marfrom CO says
I made this tonight in 4 8 oz. ramekins — just cut the recipe down slightly. I peeled and chopped the apples, and stored them in lemon water while I finished preparing them. Then dumped out the water. . I added 1/2 c. chopped pecans to the topping and about 1 T of flour to the apples along with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Baked it at 350 for 40 minutes and it had started to brown so I removed it. Interestingly, this is almost exactly the same recipe I found and recently started making for Peach Crispie. It’s great with perfectly ripe home grown peaches too! I always add more cinnamon. Love it. Better than my other crispy recipe.
Tina Marie Cywinski Lana gronski says
Yummy
Laura Stehle says
Couldn’t make enough of this, it’s SO tasty!!
Danna says
Awesome recipe! Such great flavor.