Homemade apple crisp with a brown sugar oat topping is the perfect fall dessert! It has soft tangy apples, covered in a warm sweet syrup, topped with a crispy brown sugar oat topping.
You can serve it with homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for a wonderful treat!
What is the Difference Between Apple Crisp and Apple Crumble?
Both are pretty similar. The difference is an apple crisp has a topping made with oats, and an apple crumble has a more dense cake-like topping.
What is Apple Crisp Topping Made Of?
This apple crisp topping is made of: flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and melted butter. Everything comes together to make a wonderful crisp topping.
Ingredients Needed for an Apple Crisp with Oat Topping
Apples
Granny Smith apples work the best for this recipe. They don’t break down too much while cooking and have a tangy flavor that compliments the sweetness of the apple crisp.
You could also substitute half of the Granny Smith apples with Gala apples or a hearty cooking apple like Pink Lady or Honey Crisp.
Sugar
The apple filling uses organic cane sugar, and the topping has brown sugar.
You can make your own brown sugar by adding a ½ teaspoon of blackstrap molasses to cane sugar and mixing until it reaches a nice brown color.
If you decide to use half Granny Smith and half Pink Lady or Honey Crisp apples, you could reduce the sugar inside the filling from ¾ cup to ½ cup if you don’t want it too sweet!
Spices
This apple crisp filling is about the spices! The ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract all add warmth and deliciousness to this crisp! You could even add a pinch of ground cardamom as well!
Flour
A little bit of flour helps to create a syrup from the juices of the apples and the sugar.
Lemon Juice
Even though the Granny smith apples have a natural tang to them, a little bit of lemon juice works great to help balance the sweetness from the sugar and the oat topping!
Oats
Many oat toppings use rolled oats and sometimes they can take over the crisp. If you have never used quick-cooking oats in your crisps – try it! Quick-cooking oats help to make this apple crisp topping the best.
Tools You May Need for This Recipe
What is Your Favorite Apple Dessert?
I hope you try this recipe! If you do, leave a comment, a star rating, or tag me on Instagram(@themidwestkitchenblog)! Enjoy!
Looking for More Dessert Recipes?
Apple crisp with brown sugar oat crumble
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with vanilla bean
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Apple Crisp with Oat Topping
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: Bake
Description
Homemade apple crisp with a brown sugar oat topping is the perfect fall dessert! It has soft tangy apples, covered in a warm sweet syrup, topped with a crispy brown sugar oat topping. You can serve it with homemade vanilla ice cream for a wonderful treat!
Ingredients
Apple filling
- 4 cups Granny Smith apples, 5 – 6 medium apples sliced
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Brown sugar oat topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup quick-cooking oats
- ½ cup brown sugar*
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sliced apples, cane sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, nutmeg, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
- Mix until the apples are coated with sugar, flour, and spices. Spread the apples evenly into a 9.5 in pie dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, quick-cooking oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until everything is combined. Then add the melted butter. Mix until there aren’t any dry spots and you start to have oat crumbles.
- Top the apples with the brown sugar oat topping, spread evenly.
- Bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until the apples are soft and the oat topping is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then serve with homemade vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
*You can make brown sugar by adding 1/2 teaspoon of blackstrap molasses to ½ cup of cane sugar.
Keywords: apple crisp, homemade apple crisp, apple crisp with oat topping, oats, apple crisp with oats, brown sugar
