This Easy Apple Crisp is the perfect dessert when you’re in the mood for a fall apple pie but don’t feel like making a pie crust.  It’s so quick and easy to prep and the topping is full of pecans, oats, and buttery richness.  You can serve it with vanilla ice cream and even your favorite caramel topping.  Either way, it’s a perfect dessert on a crisp fall day! 

Apple Crisp.

I am more ready for fall than anyone I know.  Between the heat, humidity, mask-wearing, social distancing, and so many of us being sick, I’m so ready for a cool crisp fall and to be able to put the summer of 2020 behind me.  The other day, I was going back and forth between a fall and winter mental state of mind, and I finally settled on fall.  I made a trip to my local grocery store and picked up some Granny Smith apples and got to work on making my kitchen smell like fall.

Apple Crisp.

I didn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen making an apple dessert, so I decided to rule out making homemade pie crust.  I wanted something easy, yet delicious and filled with the taste and smell of fall, so I reached for my Easy Apple Crisp recipe.

Fall is the perfect season for apple desserts.  It’s the time of year when you can find fresh orchard apples.  The best thing on a crisp fall day is visiting an orchard where they are making homemade apple fritters and donuts and serving homemade apple cider.  What could be better?  But if you don’t have the luxury of visiting an apple orchard, make your own fall memories in your own kitchen, starting with this Easy Apple Crisp!

Tips for making perfect apple crisp

  • Use a good baking apple such as Granny Smith.  They are tart, firm, and bake up perfectly.
  • Slice the apples thin, no more than 1/4 inch thick.  The thin slices will bake up faster and be baked tender when the crumb topping gets golden brown.
  • Mix the filling and crumb topping before peeling and slicing the apples.  This way the apple slices won’t have time to turn brown before baking them.  You also won’t need to use lemon juice on the apples to keep them from turning brown.
Apple Crisp.

This Easy Apple Crisp is made with tart Granny Smith apples, that are coated with a buttery, cinnamon sugar, filling before being baked to tender perfection.  The crunchy buttery streusel topping is made with old fashioned oats, flour, butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and crunchy pecans and it totally complements the apples.

Apple Crisp.

You might also like these delicious apple desserts…

Country Apple Pie

Homemade Apple Dumplings

Apple Hand Pies

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Easy Apple Crisp

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Cindy Gibbs
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 to 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 minute
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This Apple Crisp is the perfect dessert to make if you’re in the mood for apple pie but don’t want to make a pie crust.  It’s a perfect fall or anytime dessert and it’s so easy to prep.  You can serve it with ice cream and even drizzle it with caramel ice cream topping.  No matter how you serve it, it’s delicious!  

Ingredients

Units Scale

STREUSEL TOPPING

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, (don’t use the quick ones)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans, optional (I use)

APPLE FILLING

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 4 tablespoons half & half
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 5 large granny smith apples, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and set aside.  If you don’t have a 9 x 13 baking dish, use an oval casserole dish or any dish close to this size.

STREUSEL TOPPING

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the butter and mix the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers, but don’t try mashing the butter.  It will melt into the mixture when it’s in the oven.  You want a crumbly mixture.  Set aside.

APPLE FILLING

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, half & half, and flour.  Add the brown sugar, vanilla,  cinnamon, and salt and whisk together until all ingredients are wet.  Set aside.
  2. Peel and slice the apples into thin slices about 1/8 inch in thickness, no more than 1/4 inch.  The thinner they are the quicker they will bake through.
  3. Drizzle the wet filling mixture over the apples and use two forks to lightly mix and coat the apples with the filling.  Transfer the apples to the prepared baking dish.
  4. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples, making sure to cover the entire surface.
  5. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the topping is a nice golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve.
  6. Serve with vanilla ice cream or ice cream and caramel ice cream topping.

Notes

  • Slicing the apples is the last step in making the filling.  This way, the apples will not turn brown before mixing them with the filling and there’s no need for lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown.