Easy Apple Crisp Recipe with Oatmeal Topping

This dessert tops my list of comforting sweet treats you throw together quickly and taste best when served warm. Though this easy apple crisp recipe screams Fall, I promise it is perfect all year round. It is inspired by Barefoot Contessa's old-fashioned apple crisp recipe.

Just as my blueberry cobbler recipe, this recipe can be made anytime of the year. In cold weather, you can enjoy it warm and then in warmer months, serve it with chilled ice cream and call it a match made in heaven.

🥧Crisp or Crumble?

It really depends on who you ask, but based on my research, here is what we know. A crisp always contains oats, making this dessert topping "crisp," hence the name. It may also contain nuts. So, this recipe is correctly named an apple crisp—an old-fashioned apple crisp that has an oatmeal topping and is rustic and delicious.

Crumble, on the other hand, is more crumbly due to flour and butter being the main ingredients. There are no oats in the crumble topping. Since my spiced pumpkin muffins have pecans, flour, butter and sugar in the topping, I stand behind calling it a streusel. Again, no oats.

✨Why you'll love this recipe?

• Easy recipe. Talk about a recipe that is so simple that you can put it together as you are making dinner and have fresh from the oven dessert by the time you are done eating.
• Simple ingredients. Easy to find pantry and refrigerated ingredients that you most likely already have on hand or can easily find in a local grocery store. Crisps are also a great way to use any fruit past its prime.
• Super flavorful. Apples combined with citrus flavors from orange and lime and then elevated with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg make the filling super delicious. The crisp adds nuttiness, earthiness, and textural contrast to the soft apple filling.

📋Recipe Ingredients

Most of the ingredients are the ones that you must have used before. I have added some notes about some ingredients here.

• Apples - I have used a mix of fuji and gala apples in the recipe here. These are not very tart and hold on to their shape and some texture after the baking time. But use whatever kind of apples you have on hand. Remember, this is a rustic and easy recipe! However, if you use a tart variety like granny smith, you might have to adjust the sugar.
• Brown Sugar - I have used dark brown sugar here and that is what recommend using for that bold caramelized flavor.
• Spices - ground cinnamon and nutmeg powders are my baking staples. You get a subtle, warm spice that is somehow deeply comforting and perfect for fall.
• Oatmeal: In this recipe, use quick-cooking or rolled oats. Do not use old-fashioned or thick-cut oats, as these will make the topping chewy instead of crispy.

Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients along with the quantities.

👩‍🍳Steps to make this recipe

Use this section for process shots, alternating between the step and image showing the step. Users don't like seeing process shots cluttering up the recipe card, so include your process shots here.

Make the apple filling:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C. Grease a 3 to 3.5 qt baking dish with butter. Peel the apples and cut them into slices or wedges (Image 1). Zest the orange and lime and then cut and juice them.

Step 2: Add the sliced apples to your greased baking dish, along with the orange and lime zests and fresh juices (Image 2).

Step 3: Sprinkle the sliced apples with ground cinnamon and nutmeg powders (Image 3).

Step 4: Add the sugar (Image 4). Using a rubber spatula mix everything together gently so that the apples are coated with all the other filling ingredients.

Make the oatmeal crisp topping:

Step 5: In a mixing bowl combine the oatmeal topping ingredients (Image 5).

Step 6: Cut the butter into the topping ingredients using a pastry cutter, fork, or your clean hands until the mixture is crumbled (Image 6).

Bake the apple crisp:

Step 7: Scatter the topping over the apple mixture (Image 7).

Step 8: Bake the apple crisp in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown (Image 8). Serve warm with ice cream (optional).

📖Variations

• Make the oatmeal topping gluten-free by substituting all-purpose flour with your favorite gluten-free flour. I like to use 1-to-1 gluten free flour.
• Mix apples with other seasonal fruits. This recipe will work with most berries mixed in with the apples. Just make sure to have the right total quantities.

🫙Storage, freezing, and reheating instructions

• Storing the Apple Crisp - Once the baked apple crisp is cooled to room temperature, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap or a tight lid and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• Freezing - Generally speaking, fruit crisps and crumbles can be frozen either baked or unbaked.
  • For baked apple crisp: If you plan to make a batch for freezing, you can bake it in a foil baking dish. Let the crisp cool to room temperature before wrapping the dish tightly in plastic wrap until airtight and then freezing.
  • For unbaked apple crisp: Wrap the unbaked crisp tightly in plastic wrap to seal out air and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake for 40-50 minutes until the oatmeal is crisp is golden brown.
• Reheating - Reheat a serving in a microwave-safe bowl until warm.

Related

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If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you liked it! Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thekitchendocs or share on Facebook, too.

Love – Vaishali