Apple Crisp

By Genevieve Ko

Updated Dec. 16, 2024

Apple Crisp
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Christina Lane.
Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
4(3,480)
Comments
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This warm dessert can quickly satisfy sweet tooth cravings, especially if you forgo peeling the apples, which adds a nice chewiness to the crunchy toasted topping and juicy, saucy apples. Choose a variety of apples, then adjust the amounts of sugar and lemon juice to strike the right tangy balance for the filling. Or customize your crisp by using your favorite spices and nuts. The dessert tastes particularly comforting hot out of the oven, with the caramelized apple juices bubbling around the nutty cookie-like clusters, but it’s just as good cold for breakfast the next day.

Featured in: Baking That’s Simple, but Always Satisfying

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Topping

    • ½cup/71 grams all-purpose flour
    • 3tablespoons packed brown sugar
    • 1tablespoon granulated sugar
    • ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon, cardamom or nutmeg, or a combination
    • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 6tablespoons/84 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
    • 1cup/116 grams chopped pecans or walnuts, or a combination
    • ¼cup/28 grams old-fashioned rolled oats

    For the Apples

    • 1 to 4tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • ½teaspoon ground cinnamon, cardamom or nutmeg, or a combination
    • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 3pounds apples, preferably firm, with a mix of tart and sweet-tart (8 to 10 apples)
    • 1 to 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

373 calories; 20 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 32 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 151 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the topping: Rub together the flour, both sugars, the spice and salt in a medium bowl. Toss in the butter and nuts to coat, then pinch the butter into the dry ingredients until no floury bits remain. Add the oats, and gently rake and squeeze them through the buttery mixture to form peanut-size crumbles. Freeze while you prepare the apples. The crumb mixture can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the apples: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use 1 tablespoon sugar for all sweet apples; 2 to 3 tablespoons for sweet-tart apples or a mix; and 4 tablespoons for all tart apples. Mix the sugar with the flour, spice and salt in a 10-inch cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet.

  3. Step 3

    If you’d like, peel the apples. Cut into ½-inch chunks, discarding the seeds and cores. Add to the skillet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice for tart apples and 2 tablespoons for sweet-tart and sweet ones. Mix until evenly coated, then spread in an even layer. Crumble the frozen crisp mixture on top. (There will be gaps.)

  4. Step 4

    Bake until the topping is golden brown, and the apples are tender and bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes on a rack before serving hot, warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
3,480 user ratings
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Comments

Narcissa

So I used to make the crumble with cold butter sliced up like biscuits (as this recipe does). I scoffed at the idea of melting it that I saw in recipe. And then did it for another. Melting the butter and pouring it into the mixture is the only way to get a perfect crumble.

Debra

Why a frying pan? Will any kind of baking dish work?

Christine

To the apples, I add lemon juice AND bourbon, and triple the cinnamon. Luscious flavors that guests and family love.

JSC

This is a great recipe for tweaking and making yours! I doubled the spices (cardamom, nutmeg & cinnamon) in the topping, and used cinnamon only in the apple portion. I didn't have rum or apple cider or boiled cider (this would be delicious, I think), so just used water and 2 T lemon juice for liquid. Freezing the topping is such a good idea; I had perfectly sized crumbles and clusters that were easy to crumble over the apples. Baked in ceramic at 375 for almost 2 hours. Finicky family raved.

Soggy, dense and undelightful

This was unbelievably dry. There’s 1000 apple crisp recipes out there and this one doesn’t break the top 10 for me.

Emily

Added a tablespoon of white miso stirred into the melted butter before adding it into the dry mix. 👌

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