Apple crisp brings fond memories of my childhood when my cousin would make this the night before whiles I slept- but with peaches- and pack this up in my lunchbox for school. And the next day I would open it in excitement and be on cloud 9 for the rest of the day. It was the best surprise ever! This dessert is so fun to make and incredibly easy at the same time! It’s also really hands-on so it is definitely a fun dessert to make with your family.
Prepping your apples
Firstly, peel your apples and core them. My recommended choice of apples for an apple crisp are Fuji, Granny Smith, or Ambrosia apples since they have a slightly tart bite to them. Chop the cored and peeled apples into cubes and toss them with lemon juice, cornstarch, lemon zest, vanilla extract and cinnamon. This will be at the bottom of your baking dish. Set it aside as you make your oat crumble topping.
Making the apple crisp topping
Next up is the crisp topping, which is crumbled oats, flour, and chilled butter. I like to freeze the butter for about 15 minutes prior to making this just to keep it chilled because working it in with the flour and oats eventually makes it warm up to room temperature. Plus it is summer right now in Toronto so it takes a shorter time for cold stuff to get warmed up. I also use my hands to incorporate everything but a pastry cutter or using a fork will also do the trick. The aim is for it to have a crumbly texture and that way you can sprinkle it over your apple base.
When baking this, I recommend placing it on a baking sheet just to catch any extra drips from the syrup that forms around the crisp. Serve this warm with some fabulous ice cream and enjoy your summer vibe! If you love this apple dessert, you will definitely love my apple pie recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 apples, cored, peeled, and chopped into 2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C
- Lightly grease a square 8-inch brownie pan or 10-inch pie dish.
- Whisk cornstarch, lemon zest, 1/2 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon. Toss in apples into the mixture and pour into the baking dish.
- Mix diced butter, oats, flour, remaining brown sugar with a fork or your fingers until it gets coarse and crumbly. You can also use a pastry cutter. Sprinkle this over the first layer.
- Place your pan/dish on a large baking tray to catch any extra spills.
- Bake for 50 minutes, the top should be a golden brown and apples are tender.
- Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.