What is the secret to a good apple crisp?

For me, the secret is starting with firm apples that hold their shape during baking, cutting them evenly. And I think it's important to balance the sweet filling with fresh lemon juice and warm spices. I also think the topping makes all the difference. The combination of buttery oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and crunchy pecans creates the perfect contrast to the tender apples.

Is apple cobbler the same as apple crisp?

I think of apple crisp and apple cobbler as close cousins, but the main difference is the topping. A crisp typically has a crumbly topping made with ingredients such as oats, flour, butter, and sugar. While a cobbler (like this peach cobber ) is generally topped with a biscuit, cake-like, or drop-dough topping.

What size baking dish should you use?

I use an 8x8-inch baking dish for this recipe. The size gives the apples enough room to cook evenly. And it keeps the apple layer thick enough to stay tender and juicy.

Healthy Apple Crisp

Servings: 8 1x

Scale

Ingredients

For the Apples:

5 medium apples, diced or sliced, peeling is optional
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Crisp Topping:

¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped pecans
⅓ cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine salt
5 tablespoons butter, softened

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Mist an 8×8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or grease with butter.
In a large bowl, place the sliced apples, flour, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss to evenly coat the apples.
Spread the apple mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking dish and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the softened butter to the mixture and, using a large spoon or your hands, work the butter into the oat mixture until the mixture is crumbly.
Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apples.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until the apples are bubbling, for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake, uncovered, until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown and lightly crisp, 10 to 15 more minutes.
Remove the apple crisp from the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Cover leftovers and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

For gluten-free apple crisp, use an equal amount of 1:1 gluten-free baking flour in the apples and the crumb topping portions of the recipe.

For dairy free, substitute solid coconut oil or stick vegan butter for the butter in the crisp topping.

For nut-free, omit the pecans from the crumble topping.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: ⅛ of the recipe
Calories: 275
Fat: 13 g
(Sat Fat: 5 g)
Sodium: 72 mg
Carbohydrate: 38 g
(Fiber: 4 g
Sugar: 20 g)
Protein: 3 g
Cholesterol: 19 mg

Dietary

Egg-Free Gluten-free Vegetarian

Recipe By: Molly Slama