This old fashioned apple crisp recipe features tender baked apples, warm spices, and a buttery oat topping for the perfect cozy fall dessert.

Apple Crisp with Fresh Apples

Apple Crisp is a quick and easy way to use fresh apples to make a delicious dessert that the entire family will love. This is also an inexpensive recipe to make, using common ingredients. However, once combined and baked this becomes the BEST fall dessert!

My love of apples goes back to over 50 years ago. Granny had three apple trees in our yard that each fall produced an abundance of apples. We had red delicious, another type of red, and my favorite at the time, golden delicious. As kids, we could pick our snacking apples straight from the tree!

Apples were great for snacks while outside playing, but we also enjoyed them in apple pie, fried apples, and my personal favorite: apple crisp.

What makes an apple crisp different than apple pie? Apple crisp isn’t baked in a pie crust. The apples are placed in the bottom of a baking dish and topped with a mixture of flour, oats, butter, and cinnamon. After baking, the apples are soft and sweet and the oat topping is golden brown, crunchy and flavorful.

I absolutely love the crumbly, sweet, buttery topping on top of the tender sweet apples. Some people add chopped nuts to the topping. However, my preference is to stick with flour and quick oats.

While apple crisp is delicious on its own, in my opinion, topping it with vanilla ice cream is almost mandatory. Creamy vanilla ice-cream just complements apple crisp perfectly and elevates the entire dish.

I recently served this at a family gathering and it was a hit with everyone from the children to the grandparents! — Sara

Ingredients

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Fresh apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
Fresh lemon juice
Quick oats (NOT old fashioned oats)
All-purpose flour
Brown sugar
Unsalted Butter

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Instructions

Prepare the Apples – Peel, core, and slice your apples so you have 6 cups of sliced apples. You’ll need about 5 medium apples. Add to a large bowl with lemon juice, stir to coat, and set aside.
Make the Crumble – Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter in a medium bowl, using a pastry cutter or forks to incorporate the butter into the mix. It will make a crumbly mixture.
Layer – Place the apples in an 8X8 baking dish and cover with the crisp topping.
Cook – Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Prep Tips

Apples – For the best apple crisp, choose firm, slightly sweet or tart apples that will hold their shape during baking, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn. These varieties balance the sweetness of the topping with just the right amount of sourness and won’t turn mushy in the oven. Softer apples like Red Delicious or McIntosh, on the other hand, tend to break down too much when baked, which can make the crisp taste soggy.
Serve With – The traditional way to serve a homemade apple crisp is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It also tastes delicious with a drizzle of caramel sauce or whipped cream.
Storage – Keep leftovers covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

More Apple Recipes To Try:

Apple Crisp Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

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