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Classic Apple Crisp
With all the apple recipes out there, it's amazing how difficult it is to find a good, basic apple crisp. You know, one of those recipes you're desperately seeking (along with applesauce) when you've just gone to the orchard with the kids, and they enthusiastically filled two very large bags with apples.
While this version of apple crisp may seem daunting, with a fairly long list of ingredients, many are simply optional enhancements. Basically, you're looking at apples, sugar, thickener, and a touch of spice in the filling; and flour, sugar, butter, oats, and cinnamon in the topping.
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 pounds whole apples, to yield 2 pounds peeled, cored, and sliced apples; about 9 cups
- 1/4 cup rum, apple cider or juice, or the liquor/juice of your choice; or water
- 1/4 to 3/4 cup brown sugar, depending on the sweetness/tartness of your apples
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons boiled cider, optional but good
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Apple Pie Spice; or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or tapioca flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 3/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, light or dark
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut in pats
- 1/2 cup diced pecans or walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9" x 9" square cake pan, or similar-size casserole pan.
- Slice the apples about 1/4" thick. Toss them with the remaining filling ingredients, and spread them in the pan.
- To make the topping, whisk together the flour, oats, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder.
- Add the cold butter, working it in to make an unevenly crumbly mixture. Stir in the nuts, if you're using them.
- Spread the topping over the apples in the pan.
- Set the pan on a parchment- or foil-lined cookie sheet, to catch any potential drips. Bake the crisp for about 60 minutes, till it's bubbling and the top is golden brown.
- Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. If you serve the crisp hot/warm, it may be quite soft. If you wait till it's completely cool, it'll firm up nicely. A good compromise is to wait for it to cool completely, then reheat individual portions briefly in the microwave. Vanilla ice cream is a tasty accompaniment.
- Yield: 9 to 12 servings.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1/12th pan (130g)
- Servings Per Batch 12
Amount Per Serving:
- Calories 250
- Calories from Fat 90
- Total Fat 10g
- Saturated Fat 6g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 25mg
- Sodium 55mg
- Total Carbohydrate 37g
- Dietary Fiber 2g
- Sugars 25g
- Protein 2g
* The nutrition information provided for this recipe is determined by the ESHA Genesis R&D software program. Substituting any ingredients may change the posted nutrition information.
Tips from our bakers
- To make individual crisps, grease eight 8-ounce capacity baking dishes, and proceed with the recipe accordingly, baking the smaller crisps for 45 to 55 minutes.
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Reviews
Best apple crisp I've ever had or made! I used maple rum in my recipe (made here in VT) as well as apples picked from a local orchard. The crumb topping took a little while to become semi-cohesive, but keep working in the butter until it clumps by the handful. This recipe is a winner!
I had friends and family over for dinner. I made the Classic Apple Crisp for dessert. I used Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey instead of the rum. EVERYONE raved about this dessert. They said it was the best they ever had!! Thanks, King Arthur Flour for a home run dessert!!!
The only quibble I have is prep time. No way could I peel, core, and slice 9 cups of fresh apples plus assemble everything in 15 to 20 minutes. It took maybe an hour or more. However, it was a fantastic recipe! I made this with Lustre Elstar apples from a small orchard in northeast Illinois. Used the Boiled Apple Cider and Old Fashioned Oats. I used a 9" round pan and it did boil over onto the cookie sheet. I may try it in in a bigger casserole dish so as not to lose any of the sauce. I took it to a meeting, still hot from the oven, and got rave reviews from some very "seasoned" cooks.
Is another glowing review of this recipe necessary? Probably not, but I'm going to add mine to the heap anyway. This is truly a wonderful, pass-it-down-for-generations recipe. I prefer my crumble to have a little more body, but the crumble/topping here is absolutely delicious, and I wouldn't change it. An added bonus is that you can make the topping ahead of time, and store it in your fridge or freezer. Make extra to have on hand for "emergency" crisps. Everyone who tried this raved about it. And don't be afraid to use a good apple (I got some early Jonathans from our local farmer), and forgo the Granny Smiths. This crisp really highlights the fruit, and you'll be glad you skipped the supermarket standards.
fantastic recipe...used spiced rum and the boiled cider...the crisp was done in 50 minutes in my stoneware square baker. Used 2/3 cup KAF whole wheat flour instead of white in the topping (hubby wants to avoid white flour as much as possible). The flavor is perfect and autumn-y. Also topped it with whipped cream and then drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce. Really recommend.
Really good! Not too sweet. Lots of crunch when it cools off. I used Captain Morgan spiced rum and included the boiled cider.
This is the best. Would make again and again. Perfect dessert.
Followed the recipe , loved it hand's down The best apple crisp I ever made , or had . to be honest I'm making again this week , Thank you and happy baking !
This is the best apple crisp I have eaten. So said everyone at the table. The boiled apple cider makes a very big improvement. I will be making apple crisp again.
The crisp is baking and smell fantastic. The recipe calls for a 1/2 cup pecans and then does not tell you what to do with the pecans. I am an experienced cook and baker. The prep time listed is not realistic. I will write a review after eating the crisp when it is cool enough.You're right about the pecans/walnuts, fellow baker. Thanks for catching that. We've asked our Recipe Team to clarify that the nuts, if using, should be added in with the other topping ingredients. We found 20 minutes to be sufficient prep time if using an apple peeler and corer, which makes quick work of slicing the apples. If peeling and slicing by hand, you can expect the prep time to be longer. Kye@KAF
