How to Make an Apple Crisp

Co-authored by Maria Short

Apple crisp is a classic American dessert, and there are as many different recipes as there are family cookbooks. That said, the basic dessert is simple -- fresh baked apples on the bottom with a sweet, crunchy streusel on top.

Ingredients

Apple Base

5 Medium-sized baking apples (Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, etc.)^{[1]
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½ cup of brown sugar (packed)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

Topping

¾ cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup of granulated sugar
½ cup of brown sugar (packed)
1 cup quick-cook oats
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making the Topping

1
Chop the 5 tablespoons (73.9 ml) of butter into small cubes, keeping them cool until use. Make sure your butter is firm and cold before you start using it. This will give the oats, sugars, and flour something solid to bind onto while they cook, leading to big, delicious crumble topping. It can help to cut the butter into 1/2" cubes ahead of time and place in the freezer while you measure everything else out.
- The amount of butter in your recipe is up to you. If you want a very rich topping, you can add as many as 8–9 tablespoons (120–130 ml), though you should add 1–2 tablespoons (14.8–29.6 ml) more flour and brown sugar if you do.^{[2]
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2
Mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to lightly mix the dry ingredients, getting rid of any clumps and making sure everything is evenly distributed.

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3
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until large clumps form. Cutting in the butter means you physically mash and cut the butter when surrounded by the flour mixture. This allows the flour to coat as much of the butter as possible, which leads to a crispy, delicious topping. You can cut the butter three ways:
- Food Processor: Pulse the mixture until there are still 1/4" clumps and none of the butter is uncoated with flour.
- Pastry Blender: These D-shaped tools have 4-5 wires at the end which effectively cut the butter up into thin slices. Cut until you have a gravel-like consistency.
- Fingers: Freeze the whole mixture for 2-3 minutes before working, then quickly mash the butter into the flour, aiming for a crumbly, gravel-like mixture.
4
Keep the mixture cold until it is ready to cook. Remember that the colder the butter is when it hits the oven, the better your topping will be. Set the topping in a cool place, like the refrigerator, while you prepare the apples.^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making the Apple Base

1
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C) and grease your baking dish. A crisp should only take about 45 minutes to cook and usually fits into a 2-quart baking dish, which is typically deeper than a pie pan. Use a touch of butter your favorite cooking spray to ensure nothing sticks as it cooks.^{[4]
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2
Choose the right apples for the best apple crisps. Not all apples are created equally, and not all apples are suitable for baking. What you want is a firm-textured apple, one that will hold up under heat. In addition, the best apples for baking have a nice balance between sweetness and tartness, leading to a better-balanced dish.^{[5]
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Research source} If you're in doubt, check the labels at your supermarket, which often point out good "baking" apples. Some great examples (not including those in the ingredients list) include:
- Must
- Pink Lady
- Granny Smith
- Cortland
- Empire
- Jonathan and Jonagold^{[6]
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3
Slice and core the apples, removing the skins first if desired. Wash the apples and then peel them first, as most people don't like the skins in their crisp. If you have an apple corer, use it to punch out the center and then cut the apple into whatever thickness you desire, though they should be a 1/4" or less in order to fully cook. If you don't have an apple corer, the best way to cut apples with a knife is:
- Wash and peel the apple. Remove the stem.
- Cut the apple in half lengthwise, from the stem down
- Cut the apple halves lengthwise into quarters
- Lay each quarter on one side, peel side up, and diagonally slice out the core.
- Cut remaining apple into slices.^{[7]
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4
Toss the apples in a large bowl, then add lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Add the lemon juice first, tossing to coat all of the apples with light acid, which keeps them semi-crisp and enhances their flavor. Then add the sugar and flour slowly, making sure all of the apples are adequately covered.
- If you want a little extra sweetness, toss in 2 tablespoons (29.6 ml) of maple syrup with the lemon juice and coat the apples before adding sugar and flour.
5
Pour the apples into your baking dish and top evenly with topping. The apples go in nice, even layer on the bottom and the streusel goes in a nice, even layer on the top. With the apples, take care to prevent large air holes that might form from askew apples. While they don't have to be meticulously layered, you don't want it to cook unevenly.
6
Cook until the top is golden brown and the apples are bubbling—about 35 minutes. The longer the dish cooks, the softer the apples will get. However, too long and the topping will burn. 30-40 minutes should be right on the money.^{[8]
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- If the topping is getting too dark but the apples need more time, cover the whole thing with aluminum foil. This will protect the topping while trapping heat to cook the apples.^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Variations

1
Know that this recipe can be easily adapted to your tastes. Looking to get a little more variety in your crisp, or fine-tune it to your particular taste buds? This recipe is more of a template than anything, and adjusting it is easy. You can:
- Omit the oats from the topping, instead adding an extra 1/2 cup of flour.^{[10]
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- Adding more cold butter for a richer topping, or 2 tablespoons (29.6 ml) melted butter with the apples for a richer base.^{[11]
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- Change the brown sugar to white sugar mixture, adding more brown sugar for a more molasses-like taste.
2
Toss in a ½ cup of your favorite chopped nuts to give the whole dish a little extra crunch. You can add them to either the topping, the apples, or both -- there are recipes that support all three. In general, the most commonly used nuts are pecans or walnuts, though toasted or sliced almonds, especially in the crumb topping, can be divine as well.^{[12]
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3
Mix in other fruits with the apples to create a complex crisp. You can add different fruits easily without changing your workflow much, simply tossing it in with the apples before the lemon, flour, and sugar. Some great compliments for the apples include:^{[13]
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- Dried fruits, like raisins, currants, and cranberries.
- Fresh cranberries
- Pears
- Plums^{[14]
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4
Spice the apple mixture with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and/ore allspice. This autumnal crisp goes great with tea, or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Note, however that these spices go a long way, and you shouldn't need much more than a 1/2 teaspoon of each, though you could double the cinnamon if desired.
- Spices go well if you add dried fruits, as well.
- A touch of maple syrup here will help balance the spices with a dash of sweetness.
5
Use 4-5 tablespoons of honey instead of butter for a healthier crisp. Simply use a rubber spatula to mix the flour, sugar, and oats in with the honey until it forms small, sticky balls. This mixture will be decidedly less rich, but it will be much, much lower in calories.^{[15]
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6
Use multiple apples for a more complex, layered taste. You want to use two apples that cover each other's "weaknesses." Otherwise said, you want to find a mostly sweet apple to combine with a more tart apple, like a sweet Fuji with a pucker-inducing Granny Smith. In general, this green-red combination will do you well.^{[16]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How do you fix a watery apple crisp after baking?

Maria Short
Baker
Maria Short is a Baker and the Owner of Short N Sweet Bakery & Cafe in Hilo, Hawaii. With over 24 years of experience, she specializes in specialty desserts and wedding cakes. She graduated from L’Academie de Cuisine’s Pastry Arts Program with honors and studied at Baltimore International Culinary College. In 2019, Maria competed in the 6th season of the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. In 2010, she had a cake named one of “America’s Most Beautiful Cakes” by Brides magazine.

Maria Short

Baker

Expert Answer

Take the topping off and drain some of the extra juices from the pan. You can even stick the topping in the oven for a few minutes to let it re-crisp before putting it back on your apple filling.
Question

Does butter need to be cold for crumble?

Maria Short
Baker
Maria Short is a Baker and the Owner of Short N Sweet Bakery & Cafe in Hilo, Hawaii. With over 24 years of experience, she specializes in specialty desserts and wedding cakes. She graduated from L’Academie de Cuisine’s Pastry Arts Program with honors and studied at Baltimore International Culinary College. In 2019, Maria competed in the 6th season of the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. In 2010, she had a cake named one of “America’s Most Beautiful Cakes” by Brides magazine.

Maria Short

Baker

Expert Answer

Definitely! The butter needs to be very, very cold so that it stays in chunks when you incorporate it, which gives you a crumbly shortbread texture.
Question

Should I cover an apple crisp while it is cooking?

Community Answer

It isn't necessary to cover the apple crisp while it is cooking. If you want a nice, crispy brown layer on the top, then yes, you should cover it.