Easy Apple Crisp Recipe with Oats

This apple crisp recipe is everything I love about fall in one dish, warm cinnamon apples under a golden, buttery crumble that turns crisp on top and soft underneath. It is the smell that fills my kitchen the whole season, and the recipe that reminds me why fall is my favorite time of year.

Every bite tastes like the orchard air feels this time of year, a little sweet, a little tart, and so cozy you will want to make it every weekend until the leaves are gone.

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The Buonpane Apple Crisp Recipe

This apple crisp recipe has been on our table since Jim and I were still dating. Every fall we headed out to the orchards together and came home with more apples than we knew what to do with.

I started making this apple crisp not long after we got married, and I have been making it every fall since, with our kids standing right there with me in the kitchen.

Jim’s Uncle Richard ran a fruit and vegetable farm, and every fall he sold apples at the market. When our youngest was little, my older girls worked the front of the market while the two of us worked in the back, sorting apples into baskets.

We always brought a bag home with us, and it always turned into this same crumbly, golden apple crisp. Some things just stick with a family, and this recipe is one of them.

Why You’ll Love This Apple Crisp

• Ready in about an hour, start to finish, with simple ingredients you probably have on hand.
• Just two bowls, one for the apples and one for the topping. No mixer needed.
• Works with Honeycrisp, Macintosh, or Golden Delicious apples, whatever looks best at the orchard.
• The oat and brown sugar topping bakes up golden and crisp every single time.
• This is the kind of recipe that turns into a family tradition, not just a dessert.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the filling:

• 8 Honeycrisp apples, or Mac or Golden Delicious apples
• 2 tablespoons sugar, or monk fruit sweetener if you want to cut back on sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, this keeps the apples from browning and brightens the whole filling

For the topping

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick butter, softened and cubed, not melted

A quick tip. Let your butter sit out until it is soft and at room temperature, then cube it. That softness is what makes the topping crumbly instead of tough.

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Equipment Needed

• 9×9 inch baking dish
• Two mixing bowls
• Vegetable peeler and a paring knife
• A fork, a pastry cutter, or just your hands for the topping

How to Make Apple Crisp

1. Preheat and prep the pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9×9 inch baking dish with olive oil spray.
   Pro tip. A quick spray keeps the crisp from sticking without adding extra butter to the pan.
2. Wash and slice the apples. Wash, peel, and slice your apples. I leave the peels on mine, but you can take them all off if your family prefers.
   Pro tip. Leaving a few peels on adds nice color, and nobody in my family has ever noticed the difference.
3. Toss and layer the filling. Mix the sliced apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice, then layer them in your prepared baking dish.
   Pro tip. The lemon juice keeps the apples from browning while you mix up the topping.
4. Make the crumble topping. Mix the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter together with a fork, a pastry cutter, or your hands, until it turns crumbly, then layer it over the apples.
   Pro tip. Make sure your butter is soft and at room temperature, not melted, so it mixes into a crumbly topping instead of a greasy paste.
5. Bake until golden. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
   Pro tip. If the top browns too fast, lay a piece of foil over the dish for the last ten minutes.

Variations to Try

• Gluten free: Use a gluten free flour blend and certified gluten free oats in the topping.
• Lower sugar: Swap the sugar in the filling for monk fruit and use a brown sugar substitute in the topping.
• Extra fruit: Add a cup of fresh cranberries or chopped pears in with the apples.
• Nutty crunch: Stir a half cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the topping before baking.

If you love this apple recipe, you will probably love my 4 Ingredient Apple Cider Donuts with Spice Cake Mix

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Store leftover apple crisp covered in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat single servings in the microwave for about thirty seconds, or warm the whole dish in a 350-degree oven for ten to fifteen minutes to bring the topping back to crisp.

Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or drizzle it with my Homemade Easy Maple Syrup Caramel Sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

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