Apple Crisp Dessert

This warm, cozy apple crisp for two made from scratch is the best way to use 3 apples. The filling is sweet and delicious, just like apple pie, and the crisp oat topping is everything apple crisp should be. Bake in a small gratin dish with a 3-cup capacity, or bake it in ramekins, it's your choice. But don't let Fall go by without enjoying it at least once!

This is the perfect Apple Crisp Dessert

The ingredients of an apple crisp are very simple, yet this was one of the hardest recipes for me to scale down to two servings. The problem lies with the apples:  a single apple does not give off much juice. The only reason a typical apple crisp is juicy is because it’s filled with 6 to 8 apples. When a smaller version is made with just 2 or 3 apples, a dry dessert is the result. After many attempts, I discovered a touch of maple syrup brings moisture and a delicious flavor. I use Grade A maple syrup for its smokiness. If you love maple syrup, try my maple bacon cupcakes.

We're always thinking about how much moisture apples exude when baked, and it always depends on the end goal of the recipe. For my mini apple pies, we don't want a soggy crust, so we keep the liquid to a minimum. However, for an apple crisp for two, we want plenty of liquid in the final result, so that is why we're adding a touch of maple syrup.

Why you'll love this Simple Apple Crisp Recipe

This recipe is the best thing about fall: delicious, soft spiced apples with a crisp topping! It’s so easy to make and is the best way to use 3 apples on your counter.

Apple Crisp with Oats Recipe Ingredients

• Butter. Keep the butter cold, because we're making a crumble topping for the apple crisp for two.
• Granulated Sugar.
• All-Purpose Flour.
• Cinnamon.
• Rolled Oats. Rolled oats are the same as old fashioned oats. Rolled oats are flat and cook in 5 minutes. You can use 1-minute oats here, but do not use steel-cut or Irish oats.
• Granny Smith Apples. Two medium bright green Granny Smith apples.
• Honey Crisp Apple. You can sub any super sweet and crisp apple for a Honey Crisp.
• Maple Syrup. You can use grade A or grade B maple syrup, your choice.
• Nutmeg. Freshly grated is always best, and in my opinion, nutmeg is even better than cinnamon when it comes to apples!
• Lemon. We'll use a pinch of lemon zest (about ¼ teaspoon) and ½ teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice from one whole lemon.

Best apples for apple crisp:

The best way to handle the variation among apples is to bake with a mix of varieties. It's a wonderful world of apples, but we must start with Granny Smith apples. They're tart, firm, and they hold their shape while being baked, even for long amounts of time in a homemade apple pie. Granny Smith apples are welcome in every single apple dessert I bake, and we need 2 medium ones for this recipe. And for sweetness, we're using a single Honey Crisp. You might be living under a rock if you haven't tried the Honey Crisp apple. It's crisp, sweet and melts perfectly when cooked. It's the world's most perfect apple, and I will die on that hill.

If I could go back in time, I might write my Master's thesis on cooked apple behavior. Instead, I wrote my thesis on the best way to manage weeds in organic lettuce and celery fields, but that's a story for another day. But what endlessly fascinates me now is.

If you're wondering what you can make with soft, local apples, try my caramel apple cinnamon rolls. Yes, you can use small local apples for this recipe, too, but if the variety of apple turns to mush while baking, just be aware the bake time here is 40 minutes.

How to make Apple Crisp with Oat Topping

1. First, gather the ingredients, and have ready a 3-quart small baking dish, or 3-4 ramekins. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit and ensure a rack is in the center position of the oven.
   
2. Let's make the crisp topping first: in a medium bowl, combine the cold diced butter, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, flour, half of the cinnamon, oats, and the salt. Use a pastry blender or two forks to bring the mixture together. 
   
3. Really work the butter into the ingredients until a crumbly topping forms that holds together when you squeeze it in your hand. Set aside.
   
4. Now, peel, core, and dice all of the apples into 1-inch chunks.
   
5. Place the apple chunks in a bowl, and add the remaining ingredients: the rest of the sugar, the other half of the cinnamon, maple syrup, nutmeg, lemon zest and lemon juice.
   
6. Once the apples are fully coated with all of the ingredients, tip them into the awaiting baking dish. Scatter the crumble evenly on top.
   
7. Bake the dish for 40 minutes, and broil it for 5 minutes at the end for an extra crisp topping, if that's your preference.

Simple Apple Crisp Recipe tips for success

Be sure to use the best apples for this baked dessert. You want a firm apple that is very crisp. The best apples to use are: Granny Smith, Crispin, Honeycrisp, Gala, Envy or Pink Lady apples.

How to serve this Apple Crisp Dessert

It’s great on its own, warm from the oven, but a few scoops of vanilla ice cream is really great on top. If you want to drizzle it with caramel, even better!

Apple Crisp with Fresh Apples storage

The best way to store this dessert is at room temperature for one day. Keep it tightly wrapped. To reheat, place it back in a LOW oven to heat the filling through and re-crisp the top. You can assemble this dessert and refrigerate or freeze it before baking. Just let it come back to room temperature before baking as usual. From the freezer, defrost overnight in the fridge and then let sit at room temperature for a few hours before baking. I really don’t recommend freezing already baked apple desserts, because the apples become very soggy after thawing.

Apple Crisp with Oats FAQs

Is this apple crisp recipe healthy?

I include calorie counts on all of my recipes that can be found within the recipe card. In my non-expert opinion, apple crisp contains plenty of fiber from the apples, antioxidants from both the apples and maple syrup, and whole grain from the rolled oats. That is a very loose interpretation of the word 'health,' but I'll justify dessert any way I can.

Can I make this without oats?

If you're avoiding oats, you can swap in quinoa flakes for the rolled oats in this recipe. I do this frequently to up the protein in my desserts that my kids might eat. You can also use coconut flakes or almond flour instead of the oats.

Other apple recipes for you:

• Slow Cooker Apple Butter
• Red Hot Cinnamon Apple Mini Cake
• Best Ever Jam Bars