Last updated on August 11th, 2017
WHEN I FOUND GORGEOUS APPLES at my local orchard this week, I promptly turned them into Apple Crisp. What a sumptuous dessert! The apple slices are baked between layers of streusel, which provides a certain crispness above and below the soft middle. But here’s the best part: as it bakes, the whole house becomes enveloped in the sweet scent of autumn.
Apple Crisp
Ingredients for 6 servings
6-8 medium apples (about 3 pounds), Fuji, Golden Delicious or Granny Smith preferred
1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar, blended with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 Tablespoons melted butter
The Streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1 cup old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) rolled-oats
To begin, core and peel the apples. Then cut the apples into 1/2 inch slices.
If you’d like to speed up the coring, peeling and slicing business, then use a nifty Shaker invention called the “apple corer-peeler-slicer.” I bought mine many years ago, and I use it so often that I keep it permenantly mounted to the edge of my wooden kitchen-island.
Probably I should offer one of these gadgets in a giveaway. You’d like one, right? (Yes, I know you’d really like a new car. But I can offer you a shiny, new apple-corer-peeler-slicer. It’s even better than a car!)
Using a cobalt-blue spatula, toss the apples in cinnamon-sugar, lemon juice, and melted butter until all slices are coated.
I can tell you the apple slices will be profoundly delicious at this point. Try not to eat them all.
Let’s make the streusel. In the bowl of your food processor, add the flour…
and finally, the cold, diced butter.
And speaking of butter, I once saw a recipe for Apple Crisp that called for margarine. Does anyone actually use that hydrogenated stuff any more? I won’t allow it in my house, let alone my body. Maybe you feel differently.
Pulse only until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Now add the rolled oats, and pulse briefly to break them up.
This is what your finished streusel will look like. Pour this buttery bliss into a bowl.
Then generously butter a baking dish. I used a round, 9 1/2- by 2-inch cake-pan for this recipe.
Spread half the streusel over the bottom of the pan. And pretend that you don’t see my purple fingers.
Assuming you haven’t eaten them all, pour on the apple slices. Don’t worry if they mound higher than the pan. They’ll shrink as they bake.
Pour the rest of the streusel over the apples. This topping is going to rock your world about one hour from now, when it turns crisp and delicious. Cover the pan with a lid of some sort. I used the pyrex lid that goes with my cast-iron skillet.
Bake on the middle rack of a preheated 350F oven until the apple juices start to bubble — about 20 minutes. Then remove the cover, and bake for 40 minutes more. During this time your house will fill with a buttery, brown-sugary scent. Savor the fragrance. It is the scent of autumn.
You can serve this Apple Crisp warm or cold, without any adornment at all. Or, you can top it with a dollop of whipped cream or sour cream. Personally, I prefer mine with a small scoop of French-vanilla ice cream.
Need a copy-and-paste version of the above recipe? Here goes:
Apple Crisp
Ingredients for 6 servings
6-8 medium apples (about 3 pounds), Fuji, Golden Delicious or Granny Smith preferred
1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar, blended with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, meltedThe Streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 Tablespoons cold butter, diced
1 cup old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) rolled-oatsPreheat oven to 350F.
Core, peel, and cut apples into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices in a bowl, and toss them with the lemon juice, sugar, and melted butter. In the bowl of your food processor, pulse flour, brown sugar and diced, cold butter only until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Then add the rolled oats, and pulse briefly to break them up. Pour the streusel into a bowl. Generously butter a baking dish which will hold 2 1/2 quarts (I used a 9.5- x 2-inch cake pan for this recipe). Pour half the streusel into the bottom of the pan; add the apple slices, and then top with the remaining streusel. Bake, covered, until the apple juices begin to bubble — about 20 minutes. Then uncover the pan, and bake for 40 minutes more. Serve hot, warm or cold as is, or with whipped cream, sour cream, or French-vanilla ice cream.
Promise me you’ll make this Apple Crisp the moment your local apples hit the farm stands. For such an easy dish, it is surprisingly scrumptious.
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Need more apple-dessert ideas? Try these:
La Tarte Tatin
Apples in Jack Daniels Custard
Glazed Apple Tart
Rosemeri says
The smell of baking apples just screams Fall. I love, love, love Fall and apple crisp, Thanks for the recipe. It’s starting to cool down where I live and I can start thinking about turning the oven on again.
Kim says
What I enjoy most about your site is that you take the time to create beautiful things and enjoy a simple life. The time and dedication you put to create beautiful meals, gardens, and your home shows. Thank you for sharing.
terry says
oh my my my…
I never thought to put streusel on the bottom too, what a wonderful idea!!
Robin says
Great idea to put the streusel on the bottom, too. YUM.
badger gardener says
Can it be apple season already? This crisp will be lovely w/ some cooler temps. moving in this weekend. I hope I find some apples at the farmers’ markets because you have definitely set the mood for some cinnamony goodness..
Rebecca says
We make an apple crisp that is very similar here at home, and it’s always a HUGE hit.
One difference though: we add nutmeg and cinnamon to the struesel also. Delicious! What a great fall treat. I might have to make some today, even in this heat!
Jo says
In Australia this is called Apple Crumble, a wonderful nanna dish. A divine addition to the streusel topping is finely grated fresh ginger. I love the mint garnish on yours. Just the right touch!
Silvia Lang-Griffes says
Hi Kevin —
What an incredible site! A true labor of love.
Your vegetable gardens and advice inpire me to do more with my own.
Just copied this Apple Crisp recipe, and I’m making it — a happy harbinger of Fall, I hope!
A fellow gardener,
Silvia
Vicki says
Plan to make this today, but I don’t have a cobalt blue spatula! Whatever shall I do? Could I paint mine and then use it? Seriously, I enjoy my Sunday cup of coffee and your tips! Can’t wait to smell the apples!
Anna Lapping says
Apple crisp is one of my Fall Favorites. I usually skip the bottom layer of streusel to save a few carbs/calories, and it’s still delicious. Ginger gold apples are another good variety to try, but they have a very short season. I usually add the grated ginger along with the cinnamon as another reader suggested. I would love to have the Shaker apple peeler, corer, slicer. It would make life much easier at apple time.
Anna Lapping says
OH MY GOODNESS! I just read the recipe for Apples baked in Jack Daniels Custard. We always have bourbon in the house, and I will be making this.
Brenda Johnson says
Oh how delicious this looks!!!!! (Oh how I wish I was working today- I’d be on your porch with a dish in my hand!) May have to make this for dessert to go with the hominy au gratin!
kim baker says
Great idea! I will make this soon. I really enjoy your site!
Mary M-S says
I too love your site – you do put love, warmth and charm into all you share with us. This recipe sounds soo fabulous. I will try it substituting non-hydrogenated Earth Balance shortening for cubed butter, and hope I an use honey w/o messing up the streudel – will probably add more flour (this is what happens when you can’t do dairy or sugar!) I like the way you bake the crisp – whenever I’ve tried them the top doesn’t really get crisp and the oats are too chewy. But covering it should give them time to actually cook and then crisp up when the cover is off for 40 min. Yay. I hope this qualifies for an apple peeler/corer, even if it’s not Shaker, but a least a cobalt blue spatula. Again, love your site, share it all the time.
Mary says
Love the sound of this. Gave my rarely used food processor away. Can I get similar results with a mixer or make a different subsitution? I could smell this as I looked at the pics. Thanks Kevin!
ruth says
Kevin, so glad I found your site. Love the cooking and gardening tips, and the pictures that you include makes all of your ideas so tempting and do-able. Hoping to win an old restaurant menu – that would be a VERY cool addition to my red kitchen!
Sandy Hutchison says
This is my favorite use for apples, too (besides throwing them in curried chicken salad). I don’t use any sugar in the apple mixture, though, and I don’t use a bottom layer. I find the dish plenty sweet enough without it. Another fun thing is to throw (fresh) cranberries in there, or mix some chopped nuts into the crisp. (Pecans are especially yummy.) Substituting a little maple syrup for some of the sugar in the crisp is another flavor variation.
Have to admit I’ve never hauled the food processor out for this — if you melt the butter in a glass bowl in the microwave you can just add the other ingredients and mix it up easily with a fork.
Also, the friend who gave me the basic recipe was a baker’s daughter. He told her the secret to a really good crisp was to have more than one type of apple. I’d never let that stop me from making a crisp with the apples on hand, though. 🙂
SherryW says
Once again you have tempted me so I can actually smell the apples right now. Never thought of putting the struesel on the bottom either, what a good idea. You have a way of sharing that is just like having a friend at my house demonstrating. How lucky we are to have your newsletter to read every week. Kevin you are a godsend.
Mary Anne Cella says
My husband is not a big fan of rolled oats. Anyone have an idea of something I could use instead?
Mary Abbott says
I’ve got to try this as soon as the 90 degree temperatures go away!
Margaret S. says
I love my peeler corer, i actually have two. At harvest my husband and i are both using it. It is great for peeling potatoes also. I have a crock pot apprle crisp recipe that is very similiar to your baked one.
Lori says
This looks and sounds heavenly. I may have to go to the store again today for oats. I wonder though…how well would this freeze? Say I had roughly a metric TON of apples and wanted to make several of these up for future use. Would you freeze before or after cooking?
Joanne K. says
I made this today with apples from the local farmers market and WOW! it’s fabulous! I didn’t have anything other than the quick cook oatmeal, so I had to use them. was still amazing, thanks for the recipe!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Lori – You can certainly freeze the crisp after baking it. Before serving, let it thaw completely. Then heat at 350 until warmed throughout — about 30 minutes. Regarding that metric ton of apples…just think of the crisps, pies, and tarte tatin you can make!
Joanne K – So glad you made and liked the crisp! Good to know it worked out well with quick-cooking oats.
Anne-Marie says
Oh, this looks delicious! and that is funny, “using the blue spatula” 🙂
Now .. do you have any simple recipes for plums? I have a bumper crop of the blue Italian (I’ve been making easy plum sauce with them) and also the large free-stone plums?
Many thanks!
Amy Simonson says
This looks yummy! I’m going to have to give it a try! It would be great with peaches too.
I have a really good recipe for plum butter using Italian plums. My neighbor from Germany shared it with me and I make it every year. Would you like it?
ronald christ says
The presentation of this recipe, visual and textual, is first rate. Before the taste—a long-time favorite—I savor your clarity and precision.
Christine says
Kevin I love your website and recipes. I thought I would share that I have found a canning recipe for apple pie filing which is the same as the crisp filling. It is very good and the apples are not mussy. So I don’t have to wait a whole year for the apples to ripen. Apple cinnamon smell all year round. : )
Antoniette says
oh my goodness, I can almost smell those apples baking right now! I will never lose any weight reading your blog Kevin that’s for sure! Your recipes, style and humor keep me coming back for more, yum!
Lise GBeattie says
Excellent recipe, very delicious
thanks
Audrey says
Just made the apple crisp, delicious! The house smells great, too. We need to make ours gluten free so just substituted GF flour and oats.
Clarissa says
Best apple crisp recipe I’ve ever tasted. I was about to give up on it entirely. Now I’ll make it all winter.
Jan says
I love Apple Crisp so, that I tend to eat have of it in one sitting and than not eat much for the rest of the day.
Can not wait to make this one.
Jeanetta says
Apple Crisp with homemade vanilla icecream and extra sharp cheddar cheese!!! Yum, yum, yum!
Nancy van Ginkel says
Hi Kevin
Made this wonderful recipe tonight. Yummy. Although this recipe is very similar to my own, it had a couple of different components, which I love. Such as half the topping used on the bottom, instead of all on the top. So, you know I had to add something, maple syrup, since it is the season here in Nova Scotia. So 2 tbsp. of syrup and 1 tbsp. of flour to the apples,along with your ingredients, the flour was just in case it was a little runny. Turned out divine with French Vanilla Ice cream.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Nancy – So glad you tried the crisp. I suspect the maple syrup added to the mixture was delicious indeed!
Jenn says
That looks absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing! I am sure I will be attempting this very soon!
Julie says
What I wouldn’t give for a peeler/corer right about now! The paring knife and my hand have become one this week and I have 1/2 a bushel left to deal with. I can’t wait to try this recipe but the apple pizza will be first!
Barbara Jividen says
Your recipe sound just like one I made a few weeks ago, YUMMY!!!
I have a slicer peeler corer, I have had it since the early 80’s and I love mine, I don’t use it as much as I should but I may use it more now because the garndbabies always want apple.
Thanks! Love you site!
Tina Knowlton says
Making this tonight; thank Heavens I have the requisite Cobalt Blue spatula! Also, New Englanders put Very, very sharp cheddar cheese (Vermont preferred, but New York State will do in a pinch) with everything apple, including crisp.
sherry says
Kev, love your site! We had several large apple trees. In the busy fall when I was canning and freezing our garden’s bounty, I would make applesauce and apple butter, but making pies was too time consuming. So I prepared apple slices, sweetened them, and froze them in a plastic bag inserted in pie plates; when frozen I’d stack ’em in freezer so they’d be ready for fresh pie crust when I had time to make a pie!
Linda Boyer says
I will have to prepare this crisp this weekend for my apple pie loving hubby! I can just imagine the apple/cinnamon aroma now! And yes, the slicer/peeler/corer would certainly be handy, especially with the holidays fast approaching! This California native will have to give the sharp cheddar cheese idea a try . . . . . Thank you, Kevin, for yet another tempting recipe! (PS – I have a cobalt blue spatula – that should do the trick!)
Jenn says
I just made this apple crisp last night! Yummy and not difficult to make. I don’t have a food processor so I improvised by making sure my butter was in small bits. It didn’t seem to effect the taste or texture at all!
Thank you for the great recipe!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Jenn – So glad you tried — and liked — the crisp!
Carol L Santora says
Good morning, I am new to your blog and find your recipes tantalizing. In the first part of this recipe, you stated it call for 1 cup of flour and then in the box you wrote 1/2 cup, I am unsure which it is. I am leaning towards the 1/2 cup, is that correct? Thank you for all these beautiful and tempting recipes. I have become a huge fan.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Carol L Santora – 1/2 cup flour. Thanks for catching my boo-boo. Correction has been made.
Bruni Haydl says
I’ve made this twice. The first time I mistakenly added the melted butter to the finished streusel and tossed. Loved the outcome. The second version where I followed the recipe exactly did not lend itself to eating cold or room temperature because the butter hardens on the apples. If you heat the crisp up slightly the problem goes away. I’ll definitely keep making this crisp but do it “my way.” 🙂