Homemade Apple Crisp Recipe – Spend With Pennies

This homemade Apple Crisp recipe is a classic easy-to-make recipe for good reason! 

Cinnamon sugar spiced apples are topped with a buttery brown sugar oat topping and baked until tender and golden on top.

Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and serve warm.

The Best Apple Crisp Recipe

• This easy apple crisp recipe is perfect for any time of year, especially fall!
• This dessert is budget-friendly and uses ingredient you likely have in the pantry already.
• It can be prepared ahead of time and baked before serving making it the perfect dessert.

Apple Crisp vs. Cobbler

My mom made crisps, cobblers, or apple betty all of the time growing up. While similar, the difference between these desserts lies in the topping:

• An apple cobbler often has a biscuit or pie dough topping. There are also variations where the biscuit base is on the bottom of the fruit layer (as we do with our peach cobbler).
• A betty uses breadcrumbs or cubes for the topping. A betty tends to be more pudding-like as the breadcrumbs absorb the fruit juice as it bakes.
• An apple crisp, like this recipe here, has a topping made up of a combination of butter, sugar, spices, nuts, and oats.

Best Apples For Apple Crisp

Granny Smith Apples are perfect for apple crisp as they tend to hold their shape well and don’t get mushy.  The flavor is tart which pairs well with the sweet topping.

For a sweeter crisp, use a sweeter apple like Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Pink Lady, or even combine a couple of types of apples!

Apples should be peeled for apple crisp as the skins don’t soften well.

Apple Crisp Topping

There is a generous amount of topping in this apple crisp because that’s my favorite part!

Cold butter is cut into oats, brown sugar, and a bit of flour to form coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts (such as pecans or walnuts) and coconut added for flavor and texture.

How to Make Apple Crisp

While we often hear the term as easy as pie, making apple crisp is even quicker and easier than apple pie!

1. Prepare Apples: Peel and slice apples. Toss with all-purpose flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl (per the recipe below).
2. Prepare Topping: Cut butter with a pastry cutter into the oat topping mixture until crumbs form.
3. Bake: Place apples in a baking dish, top with the crumb mixture, and bake until golden and bubbly.

How to Freeze Apple Crisp? 

Freeze apple crisp either before or after baking!  It will keep in a deep freezer for up to 6 months and in a top freezer for 2-3 months.

Allow the crisp to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating or baking.

Delicious Fruit Crisp Recipes

Did you love this Apple Crisp? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!