Apple Crisp

If you’re craving the perfect seasonal dessert then you’ve come to the right place! Today we’re going to show you how to make Homemade Apple Crisp. We’ll teach you the best apples to choose for your apple crisp and share a few of our tips for making the process quick and easy. Most importantly, we’ll show you how to make a great topping for your apple crisp! The apples are great, but it’s the topping that really makes it a star. Crisp, crisp, baby!

How to make Homemade Apple Crisp

Apple season is upon us (and quickly coming to a close — so get out and grab some!) and for us that means the yearly tradition of picking fresh apples from the orchard for making homemade applesauce. It pairs great with Grandma Leone’s famous pancakes and it also keeps in the freezer so we always stock up so we can enjoy it all year long. And, of course, we always buy extra apples so we can also make some fresh apple pie and some homemade apple crisp.

Some of my fondest childhood memories include heading to my Great Aunt Ann’s house far out in the country (which was also the house my grandmother grew up in) every Fall to harvest the apples from the trees on her property. It was kid paradise because we got to run around the property, play by the pond, climb trees, pick and eat apples, take a hike, check out the old barn, explore the many bookcases in my aunt’s house, and then top it all off with some sort of fresh baked apple treat. It was magical.

The Best Apples for Homemade Apple Crisp

Recently, I sat down and asked my grandmother about the many varieties of apples and some of the history behind the trees. Apparently, her father grew many different varieties — Duchess, Baldwin, “Rattleseed” (this must have another name, but is the nickname my grandmother had for it), McIntosh, Northern Spy, Jonathan, Jersey Sweet, Astrachan and several others — along with potatoes and would drive them into town and sell them to the general store. Most of these varieties are no longer found when picking in commercial apple orchards, giving way to newer varieties bred for better production. This is good in a way, but also a little sad. My grandmother also mentioned how her father loved trees and her brother always knew the names of any tree he walked by just by the bark. It was very interesting to hear these details that were new to me. I have always loved trees and don’t know all by name (and definitely not by the bark), but have always enjoyed learning their names.

The one apple variety we still can find is northern spy . It is a tarter apple available later in the season and very good for pies and baking. We tend to make our applesauce with these, although we do sometimes add in some Cortlands because we like the pink color (plus cortlands are a little sweeter) and they’re also very good apples for pies and apple crisp.

Over at http://www.thekitchn.com/ you can find more on the best apples for baking.

Too much of a good thing?

I have always loved apple crisp and have been known to eat it for breakfast! Although, I would not recommend that on a regular basis, and definitely not before a doctor’s appointment. I remember craving sweets in the morning while pregnant with my first child and failing the blood sugar check as a result. Oops! We all have our vices. But I probably should have had some protein and a healthier version like this clean apple crisp or maybe baked peanut butter apple oatmeal or this baked steel cut oatmeal with apples and cinnamon. But all of our kids do like apples and applesauce so maybe that’s due to some of my over indulging? Yeah, let’s go with that!

Our Secret Apple Crisp Making Weapon

The toughest part of making homemade apple crisp is just the peeling and dicing of the apples. To make this go a little quicker I sometimes use our Apple Peeler Corer. It’s a clever and handy little device that quickly cores and peels apples. Our kids like to use this when helping prep apples for a recipe or when they just want an apple as a snack. I don’t use it all the time if I’m just doing single apples, but when you want to do them in bulk it can save you a fair amount of time. It quickly cores and peels the apples and then you’re just left with one quick knife cut leaving you with circular apple cuts that are perfect for layering a pie or your apple crisp.

The final step is the making of the topping for your homemade apple crisp. You want to get this right! A good apple crisp topping is crucial to a great apple crisp recipe. Maybe even as important as the apples you use! I’ve found a topping I love which includes butter, flour, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon. I find that the consistency is one of the things that helps make it great. You don’t want to end up with something that’s too powdery so I tend to blend it until it starts to clump together. Experiment around and you’ll find what works for you. The below recipe is for an 8×8 inch baking pan, but if you go to a 13×9 inch pan you might consider using 1 1/2 times the apples, but doubling the crisp. You can never have too much crisp!

Crisp lovers should also check out our easy blueberry crisp and gluten-free mixed berry crisp recipes.

Homemade Apple Crisp

5 from 1 vote

Print Rate

Ingredients

• 6-8 medium apples , peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 c . oats
• 2/3 c . whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c . brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Spray 8x8 inch pan.
• Place prepared apples in pan.
• Add oats through cinnamon to food processor.
• Cut butter into 8 pieces on top.
• Pulse until desired crisp consistency -- I like it once it starts clumping together.
• Cook for 35-40 minutes or until apples are bubbling.