Apple Crisp is a 9×13 pan dessert full of sweetened apples and a thick crumble layer with brown sugar and oatmeal.  Serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream,…you will be in heaven. I promise you’ll believe it’s the best apple crumble recipe out there with tender apples and sweet fruit filling.

Apple Crumble

APPLE CRUMBLE RECIPE

My husband John is always on the search for the perfect apple crisp. It’s his favorite dessert.
He orders it at every restaurant and is always disappointed…not enough crumb topping, too dry, apples too mushy…you get the drift.
This version, however, he loved. I have always thought it’s bold to label a dish as “the best” or “perfect” because you set some really high expectations but I have no qualms about calling this the best apple crisp recipe because the taste is unbeatable.
What I love about crumbles versus pies is that there’s no pie crust involved. I’m terrible at pie crusts.
Apple Crumble with ice cream

INGREDIENTS

  • Apples – you can use any fresh apples but here are my top apples for this recipe: Gala, Fiji, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith. Tart apples, like Granny Smith, complement the sweetness of the crumble. You don’t have to wait until apple season. They work in this dish all year.
  • Old Fashioned Oats – quick oats will work as well but I like the texture of old fashioned.
  • Brown Sugar
  • White Sugar
  • Cinnamon – can anything be better than warm cinnamon apples?
  • Flour – a bit of flour makes it a crunchy topping.
  • Lemon Juice – adds a bright flavor and helps make the sauce for the apples.
  • Butter – usually crumble recipes use cold butter cut in with a pastry cutter, but this version uses melted butter.
  • Nutmeg – there aren’t secret ingredients in this but if there were one, this would be it. It adds that special note to the juicy apples.
  • Nuts
  • Baking Powder/ Baking Soda
apples with cinnamon sugar
Just peel, core, and slice the apples and add them to your baking dish. Not too thick, not too thick. I like to cut them in 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar…
crumble topping
Add your oat topping.
Apple Crumble
If you aren’t good at pie crusts, try this easy recipe for Thanksgiving instead of apple pie. Trust me…you won’t miss your pie a bit. Those other delicious desserts won’t be any competition.

HOW TO MAKE APPLE CRISP

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place the sliced apples in a 9×13 inch pan. Stir the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, nutmeg, and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples.
  3. For the Crisp Topping: In a large bowl, combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, pecans, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until apples are cooked and crumble is golden brown. Cover with aluminum foil if topping is browning too much.
  5. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Apple Crumble
Serve warm with ice cream!

THE BEST APPLES FOR THIS RECIPE

The kind of apples matter for your apple filling. Granny Smith apples are slightly tart and firm which make them great for baking apple desserts. You can’t miss these…they’re green apples.

OTHER APPLE RECIPES:


Apple Crumble

Apple Crisp

4.45 from 38 votes
Homemade Apple Crisp is a 9x13 pan dessert full of sweetened apples and a thick crumble layer with brown sugar and oatmeal.  Serve it with some ice cream and you will be in heaven. I promise you'll believe it's the perfect classic apple crisp recipe.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

Apples:

  • 10 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I use about 6 Granny Smith apples)
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Topping:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, nutmeg, and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour lemon juice on top.
  • For the Topping: Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nuts (if using) and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until apples are cooked and crumble is golden brown.
  • Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
apple crumble