This Caramel Apple Crisp is the perfect warm and cozy dessert, featuring tender, juicy apples smothered in a rich caramel sauce. Topped with a crunchy oat and brown sugar crumble, it’s baked to golden brown perfection for the ultimate fall dessert.
Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe
Of all the recipes I make each fall, I look forward to apple desserts the most, and this recipe for Caramel Apple Crisp has quickly moved to the top of my list. It’s incredibly easy to make, and it’s packed with all the cozy, comforting flavors of the season. The tartness of the apples is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the caramel sauce, creating a combination of flavors that is simply irresistible.
What gives this dessert a gourmet touch is the crispy brown sugar oat topping. Baked to golden brown perfection, it adds a wonderful crunch and texture to the soft, baked apples. And the best part is, this is a super easy recipe that uses just a handful of ingredients from any grocery store. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, and everyone will be coming back for seconds.
For another mouthwatering homemade crisp, check out this recipe for the best Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Perfect fall dessert –Tender, juicy fall apples with cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar, it’s everything Fall in one bite.
- Quick and easy to make – It’s made with a few simple ingredients from the grocery store-much easier than making apple pie.
- Great for any occasion – It’s an awesome dessert for potlucks, holiday dinners, or just an easy weeknight treat.
Ingredients
Apple Filling Ingredients
- Fresh apples – Granny Smith apples are best used in this dessert, but any kind of apples can be used
- Caramel sauce – Use a store-bought or make your own homemade caramel sauce
- Ground cinnamon – Gives the apples a warm, cozy flavor
- All purpose flour – Thickens the filling
Crisp Topping Ingredients:
- All purpose flour – Mixes with the oats to create the crisp topping
- Oats – You’ll want to use traditional rolled oats
- Ground cinnamon – Add a lightly spiced flavor to the topping
- Brown sugar – Used in the crisp topping, giving the dish more of a caramel taste
- Butter – We used salted butter in this recipe. If using unsalted butter, you can add a pinch of salt to the crisp topping mixture
- Baking power – Helps the topping brown and crisp up
Recommended Kitchen Tools
- 2 Large mixing bowls
- Large wooden spoon
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- Apple peeler, corer (optional)
How to Make an Easy Apple Crisp
Step One: Prepare the Apple Filling
- Peel and thinly slice the apples. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the apple slices, 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and the caramel sauce..
- Mix until well combined. Spoon into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and set aside.
Step Two: Combine the Topping Ingredients
- To make the crisp topping, add the oats, all purpose flour, brown sugar, melted butter, ground cinnamon, and baking powder to another large bowl.
- Mix until the dry ingredients are well combined.
Step Three: Add the Topping to the Apples
- With clean hands, use your fingers to sprinkle the crisp topping evenly over the apple mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown.
- Serve the caramel apple crisp warm with a scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream.
How To Store Leftover Apple Crumble
Store leftover caramel apple crisp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat using the microwave or oven just until it’s warm.
Freezing Apple Crisp
You can freeze this apple crisp as well. To do so, prepare it and then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating according to the above directions.
Variations and Add-ins
- Spices – Add a pinch of nutmeg, cloves, or allspice to the apple filling for an extra layer of warm, cozy flavor.
- Nuts – For added crunch, mix in chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, or almonds into oat mixture. This adds texture and a toasty flavor that goes great with the caramel apple filling.
- Maple drizzle – After baking, drizzle warm maple syrup over the top of the crisp before serving.
- Sugar – You can use half brown sugar and half white sugar or coconut sugar in the crisp topping. This can make the dessert slightly less sweet.
- Chocolate chips – For a little chocolatey goodness, you can mix in some white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips into the crumb topping.
- Other fruit – Include other fruits, like pears or cranberries, in the apple filling for a fun and tasty twist.
- Sea salt – Make this a salted caramel apple crisp by adding a little bit of sea salt to your homemade or store-bought caramel sauce.
- Diced, not sliced – For a chunkier texture, the apples can be diced instead of thinly sliced.
FAQS
You can use an apple you like. Pink lady, Granny Smith, and honeycrisp apples are great options. But I have found that while sweet apples are great for snacking, tart apples seem to work better. The tartness balances out the sweetness of the brown sugar in the sweet caramel apple filling.
You can make the recipe without peeling the apples if you prefer a more rustic texture. The apple skin will soften during baking, adding extra texture to the filling.
You can, but for the best results, prepare the apple filling and the crisp topping separately in advance. Store them in the refrigerator and assemble the dessert just before baking. If you’re peeling your apples in advance, spritz them with a some lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
Absolutely! If you don’t have a 9×13 inch baking dish, you can use a different size. Just keep in mind that the baking time may need to be adjusted. A smaller, deeper dish may require a longer bake time. You can also bake them in individual ramekins, but you’ll want to reduce the cooking time because they’ll bake more quickly.
More Apple Dessert Recipes
- Caramel Apple Bites
- Apple Dump Cake
- Apple Pie Smoothie
- Apple Crumble Pie
- Apple Cider Bundt Cake
- Easy Apple Dumplings
- Caramel Apple Icebox Cake
Caramel Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Filling:
- 5 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup caramel sauce
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crisp Topping:
- ¾ cup oats
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the thinly sliced apples, 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and caramel sauce and mix until combined.5 Granny Smith apples, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ cup caramel sauce
- Spoon mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
For the Topping
- In a large mixing bowl add the oats, all purpose flour, brown sugar, melted butter, ground cinnamon, and baking powder and mix to combine.¾ cup oats, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apple slices.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve warm.
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