I am an apple pie girl and always have been. I just love its buttery crust that is only slightly sweet paired with the tart of a cinnamon spiced apple filling. My husband is quite the opposite though. He loves apple crisp and you can double load the topping too! It is just too much sweet for me, but if you are like my husband you can double the topping recipe. This recipe is definitely easier to make than a pie, especially since the crumb topping takes melted butter instead of cutting cold butter into the flour and sugar.
When it comes to what type of apple to use I don’t have any rules. I will pretty much make apple crisp or pie with whatever I have on hand and this year I have an abundance of empire. A co-worker of mine has an empire apple tree and has been bringing in bushels full of them and giving them out. I mean you really can’t beat a good free apple. The only down side to them is that they are on the tart side, but they bake up beautifully so all is forgiven. I just added a bit of sugar to the apples (a lot of time for a crisp I don’t add extra sweetness to the apples because the sugar in the crisp is enough).
Ingredients:
- 2-3 lbs. (about 7 medium) peeled and cored apples (any kind really, just know that some bake more quickly than others and use the lesser quantity for a higher crumb to filling ratio)
- 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon for tossing the apples in (optional)
- a little over 1 cup of all-purpose flour (5 oz, 142 g)
- 1/3 cup (3 oz, 90 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup firmly packed (2.65 oz, 75 g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (1.5 oz, 43 g) old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 8 TB (4 oz, 113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- Cut your apples into 1/2″ slices and toss them in a large bowl with the lemon juice and cinnamon. If your apples are very tart then add a couple tablespoons to 1/4 cup of sugar to lessen their tartness. Turn them out into a lightly buttered 9″x9″ square baking dish.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugars, oats, salt, and cinnamon together. Stir in the melted butter and mix until all the flour and sugar particles have been thoroughly hydrated. Crumble the topping over top of the apples. I like to start on the outer edges then work my way to the center.
- Place the crisp on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent spills on your oven floor and bake the crisp for 40-60 minutes, depending on how soft you want the apples. I like them when they have just a slight resistance when poked with the tip of a knife.
- Allow to cool on a rack for 30 minutes or completely, depending on how warm or cool you like your crisp.
