Description
This healthy and easy apple crisp recipe features cinnamon-spiced baked apples with a crunchy oat and nut topping. Vegan and gluten-free adaptable.
Ingredients
Oat Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (or use a gluten free flour blend)
- 1 cup rolled oats, regular
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (just a hint of sweetness, if you like it sweeter add more!)
- 1/2 cup raw almonds, pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed (or use coconut oil or vegan butter)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Apple Filling
- 3 pounds of apples before cutting, about 10 cups of chopped apples (see notes on apple varieties)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Crumble Topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, nuts (if using), and salt. Add the cubed butter, and drizzle in maple syrup. With a pastry cutter or forks, cut the butter in until it is evenly distributed and the mixture is crumbly. Set the crumb topping aside.
- Apple Filling: Peel (see notes), core, and slice apples. Cut them into chunks or thick slices. (Softer apples cook faster- these can be cut larger. Crisp apples take a little longer to cook, cut them smaller.) Place cut apples in a large bowl with lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt toss and stir until they are well coated.
- Butter a 9 x 13 pan (or close to that size). Pour the apples into the pan, scraping the bowl to get all the good juices and flavor onto the apples. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes. It should be bubbling and the topping will be golden brown.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, freshly whipped cream, or Greek yogurt. Add a drizzle of caramel sauce if you are feeling decadent!
Notes
Should I peel the apples? It’s up to you! Some apples have thin skins and we just leave them. The peel does add a texture and often the apple cooks faster when peeled.
The best apples for apple crisp have a balance of sweetness and acidity. We use a combination of tart apples and sweet apples to achieve this which also gives a nice texture balance. Some varieties of apples we like to choose from: are granny smith apples, pippin, Crispin, Cortland, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, pink lady and gala apples.
Feel free to swap out some of the apples and add in other fruits such as fresh cranberries, pears, or berries. If you want, throw in some dried cranberries, dates, or currants. Add more spice like cardamom, nutmeg, or cloves. Orange zest or freshly grated ginger adds a nice brightness.
Apple crisp can be served immediately or baked a few hours ahead and served at room temperature. You can also make it a day ahead, store it in the refrigerator then bake it to serve.
Leftovers keep up to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge. To reheat, place in a baking dish in the oven at 375 for 10 minutes or until warmed.
Freeze Apple Crisp before baking, and let thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 302
- Sugar: 19.6 g
- Sodium: 73.6 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.2 g
- Fiber: 5.7 g
- Protein: 4.9 g
- Cholesterol: 20.4 mg