Apple Crisp with Oat Topping
Homemade apple crisp with a brown sugar oat topping is the perfect fall dessert! It has soft tangy apples, covered in warm sweet syrup, topped with a crispy brown sugar oat topping.
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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
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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.
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Apple Crisp with Oat Topping
Equipment
- 9.5 glass pie pan
Ingredients
Apple filling
- 4 cups Granny Smith apples 5 – 6 medium apples, sliced
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
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 unsalted, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sliced apples, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, nutmeg, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Mix until apples are well coated, then spread evenly in a 9.5-inch pie dish. 4 cups Granny Smith apples ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt 1 Pinch ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 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 oat topping spreading it out evenly. 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
- 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
Nutrition
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.