A classic, easy dessert that reminds me of lunch at my elementary school. I guess that is probably the first place I ever ate apple crisp. As I was not a fan of pie crusts, apple crisp was my ideal apple dessert.
My sister is the person in my family known for making apple crisp. Compared to me, she makes it often. Unlike me, she really dislikes nutmeg (like our mom). Also, she usually thinly slices the apples. On the other hand, I often use a cutter/corer to make quick, but thick, slices. Both versions are tasty.
You should adjust the amount of spices and sugar to meet your tastes. The amount of sugar is also impacted by the type of apple you choose. A tart apple, like a Granny Smith, may need more sugar than a sweeter apple, like a Honeygold.
Classic Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 1 c. + 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. + 1/4 c. granulated white sugar
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed*
- 1 tsp. salt, divided*
- 1 c. rolled oats
- 2 +/- tsp. cinnamon, to taste
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, optional
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 to 5 lb. apples
Instructions
- Cut butter into 1 c. flour, 1 c. white sugar, 1 c. brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt using a pastry cutter, 2 knives, a food processor, or your fingers until the mixture is coarse and contains pea-size clumps.
- Blend in oats.
- Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly coat an 8 or 9-inch baking dish with butter.
- Peel (if desired) and slice apples into a large bowl. ^
- Add vanilla and toss to coat slices.
- Combine 3 Tbsp. flour, 1/4 c. white sugar, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt, and nutmeg.
- Toss apples in flour mixture to coat.
- Place apples in the prepared baking dish.
- Dot with remaining 2 Tbsp. butter on top of the apples.
- Cover with oatmeal mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown and the apples are at their desired tenderness, about 40 to 45 minutes usually.
- Serve warm (or cold). Ice cream, whipping cream, caramel sauce, or cheddar cheese are great toppings or sides for warm apple crisp.
Notes
* You can use salted butter but omit the 1/2 tsp. of salt from the topping mix.
^ An apple corer/slicer combo makes easy work of this recipe as long as you use smaller to medium size apples that fit the slicer. However, if you decide not to peel the apples you probably want to slice the apples much thinner than most corer/slicers allow.
+ The topping amount in the recipe can easily cover a 9 X 13 baking dish of prepared apples. I prefer a lot of crisp topping, so I use it all in a smaller pan. If you like less, just cut the ingredients for the topping by half OR increase the apple mixture and use a 9 X 13 dish.
