About This Recipe
Call me cliché, but I think one of my favorite desserts of all time is a fruit crisp, especially when it’s heavy-handed on the topping. I prefer a 2:1 ratio of that buttery, crunchy oat topping to whatever fruit we are using. And I don’t think I’m alone here, right?
In this beautiful fall recipe, we’re using tart Granny Smith apples tossed in cinnamon and brown sugar, plus a little orange zest and juice to make everything pop. And then, the most exciting part: a very generous layer of buttery, crunchy, sweet oat crisp.
I wanted to elevate the flavor, so I tried browning my butter, letting it cool back down to a solid, cold state, and then working it into the topping. Let me just say… chef’s kiss… there is so much depth here! Between the cinnamon and brown sugar, the hint of citrus, and the warmth from the supporting spices, I’m in heaven.
Key Ingredients
Apples — I prefer a tart, low moisture apple like a granny smith or honeycrisp. The key to a great apple crisp, is to be sure to cut your apples into even cubes.
Ground Spices — I love to play around with different spices in this recipe- you really cant go wrong here. I use a heavy dose of cinnamon and then add the others (secondary)- Ive found a mix of nutmeg, ginger and cloves is perfect.
Dark Brown Sugar — I love using dark brown sugar when baking- I think it makes for a richer baked good. You can use light brown sugar in this recipe if that’s all you have.
Orange Juice & Zest — Ive played around with lemon and orange in this recipe and I just think the orange complements the apples and warm spices better. Adding citrus brightens the flavor of apples and also balances the sweetness of the crisp.
All Purpose Flour — I use just a touch as a thickening agent, so you don’t need much. Just 1½ tablespoons helps thicken the apple juices released during baking, giving you that perfectly jammy, tender filling.
Rolled Quick Oats — I always use quick cooking roll oats in baking. Thats my preference and recommendation for best texture and bake.
Salt — With all of the apples, sugar, warm spices, and citrus in this recipe, a little salt is essential. It helps balance the sweetness while bringing out and tying together all of those flavors.
FAQ’s
Helpful tips
Here are some important Pro tips by Maude
- Use tart, firm apples: Granny Smith is an easy choice, but a mix of tart and sweet apples gives you more flavor. Avoid apples that get very soft/mushy when baked.
- Don’t skip browning the butter: This is one of the recipe’s biggest flavor boosters. Keep stirring and watch it closely once the foam starts disappearing—the butter can go from beautifully browned to burnt quickly.
- Let the browned butter get completely solid again: This is important for the topping. If it’s still soft or liquid, your crumble won’t have the same chunky, irregular texture.
- Don’t overmix the topping: You want a mixture with small crumbs + some larger chunks, rather than something resembling cookie dough. Those larger chunks become the really good crunchy bits.
- Toast the walnuts carefully: Medium-low heat is perfect. Stir frequently and remove them as soon as they’re fragrant. They’ll continue cooking a little from residual heat.
- Cut your apples fairly evenly: Aim for roughly ½–¾-inch cubes. If some pieces are tiny and others huge, they’ll finish cooking at different times.
- When measuring your flour: Be sure not to scoop your measuring cup into the flour (that is too much flour!) You want to spoon your flour into your measuring cup (spoonful by spoonful) until the cup is full. Then use a knife to scrape off the top, excess flour. This tip will ensure that you are not using too much flour in your recipe.
- Careful with browning: If you find that your crisp is browning too much on the top during baking- tent it with aluminum foil and that will protect the crisp.
More Recipes!
Here are some more recipes you might enjoy!
Crunchy & Buttery Apple Crisp
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Equipment
Ingredients
Crisp Topping
- 1¼ cups (100 g) rolled oats (i like to use quick oats- you can find the ones that I use here)
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (135 g) packed dark brown sugar (light brown sugar is fine)
- ½ tsp (1.3 g) cinnamon
- small pinch of cloves (optional)
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 13 tbsp (188 g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (40 g) finely chopped walnuts, toasted
Apple Filling
- 5 tart apples, peeled and cut into cubes (should weigh ~845 g after peeling and cubing)
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 1 1/2 tsp orange juice
- 1/2 cup (110 g) dark or light brown sugar (if you prefer less sweet, I suggest using 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar)
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 1/2 tbsp (12 g) all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Enable Step-by-Step Mode- We will first work on the apple crisp topping. To begin, Add the butter to a light-colored saucepan or skillet and place it over medium heat. *A light-colored pan makes it easier to see when the milk solids begin to brown.
- Allow the butter to melt completely, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. As it cooks, the butter will start to foam and sputter, don't worry, this is normal! Continue stirring.
- As the foam begins to subside, you'll notice golden-brown specks forming on the bottom of the pan and a rich, nutty aroma developing. (Keep a close eye on it at this stage, as the butter can brown quickly so don't walk away from your pan!)
- Once the milk solids are a deep golden brown and smell toasted and fragrant, remove the pan from the heat immediately. Pour the browned butter, including all of the flavorful browned bits, into a heat-safe bowl. Let the butter cool completely and then transfer to the freezer- we want the butter to go back to completely solid form (about 30 minutes).
- Add the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, sea salt and walnuts to a large bowl. Once the butter is solid, remove it from the bowl. You can use a spoon or butter knife to help to out of the bowl. **Note: because the butter is cold, it might need a couple minutes at room temperature before you can remove it.
- Once butter is removed from the bowl, chop it up into small cubes and add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well with your hands, breaking up the butter and sugar- we want the mixture to have a lot of irregular looking crumbs and a few large chunks.
- Once the crumble is mixed, place the bowl in the fridge to chill while we work on our apple filling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, add the brown sugar and orange zest. Using your fingers, press the zest into the sugar (this will release all of the zests oil) and the mixture will become quite fragrant. Set the bowl off to the side while you peel and cube your apples.
- In a 12×8 or 9×13 baking dish, add the apples, orange zested brown sugar, orange juice, flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Mix everything well with your hands or a large spoon. Then sprinkle all of the cold oat topping onto the apples. Note, I like to add a few additional cubes of cold butter to the oat topping just before baking. Place the baking dish on a large baking sheet (this sheet will catch all of the juices that may spill over while baking).
- Bake for 55-65 minutes (if using a 9×13 pan you probably need to only bake for about 55 minutes)- How do you know its done? The top should be golden brown and the apple juices should be oozing beneath. If you find that your crisp is browning too much halfway through baking, tent it will aluminum foil- that will help slow the browning and even the bake.
- Remove the crisp from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then scoop and serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce (if desired!). Enjoy!