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The Best Old Fashioned Apple Crisp Recipe with Ultra-Crunchy Topping

A close-up of a square serving of apple crisp recipe showing gooey filling and thick oat topping.
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Create the ultimate comfort dessert with this foolproof apple crisp recipe. You get tender, cinnamon-spiced apples beneath a buttery oat topping that stays perfectly crunchy. This is the easy fall baking staple you need.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking dish.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with lemon juice, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until the apples are evenly coated.
  3. Spread the apple mixture in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, and salt for the topping.
  5. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Do not overmix; you want visible butter pieces for crunch.
  6. Sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the apples.
  7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbly and tender when pierced with a fork.
  8. Let the apple crisp cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. This helps the juices set.
  9. Serve warm, ideally with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Notes

  • For the crunchiest topping, make sure your butter is very cold when you cut it into the dry ingredients.
  • If you prefer a slightly softer topping, bake for 5 minutes less, but check that the apples are tender.
  • You can substitute half the apples with Honeycrisp or Fuji for a sweeter filling.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.unfoldrecipes.com/apple-crisp-recipe-crunchy-oat-topping/