Apple Crisp

Fall has arrived and it’s apple season! The weather is getting colder and the leaves on the trees are changing colors to beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. I really love this time of year and apple crisp is one of my all time favorite fall desserts to make. It’s so delicious served warm out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you’re not a pie expert, this is the easy way to have some of the flavors of apple pie without all of the work. I love this version of apple crisp because it’s so simple – only 7 ingredients. I don’t think adding flour, baking soda etc. is really even necessary. The walnuts add crunch and some salt to balance out the sweetness. You might want to reduce the sugar depending on the sweetness of your apples. I used Earth Balance, organic (vegan) sugar, and Nada Moo vegan vanilla ice cream to make this recipe completely vegan. If you’re not vegan, feel free to substitute with the dairy versions.

The longest part of the prep time involves peeling and cutting the apples. Once that’s done, it’s so quick and clean up is easy. I don’t mind peeling and cutting apples… it’s actually pretty relaxing! You only need one bowl for this recipe.

Peel, core, and slice apples

Spread evenly into baking dish

Toss with cinnamon and sugar

I used Granny Smith apples the second time I made this recipe and thought it came out just perfect. Granny Smith apples typically aren’t as sweet and have the perfect texture and tartness for baking. I also tried using Honeycrisp apples which are delicious on their own, but they were a little too sweet and juicy for this recipe. Making a crumble is super easy. You can use your food processor to quickly pulse the ingredients together or use a fork and slightly softened butter. For the best texture, make sure you don’t puree the crumble mixture or over mix it.

Make the crumble

Spread crumble over apples

Bake for 40 minutes at 375F

The flavors of the apple and cinnamon really shine in this dessert. It also makes your entire house smell like cinnamon and apples… yum! I like to make it ahead (the morning of) to bring with me to a dinner party or potluck. You can bake it once you arrive and allow it cool for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving. The best part is when the vanilla ice cream starts to melt into it – the combo is just irresistible! If you make this recipe make sure to take a picture and tag @thefriendlyepicurean on Facebook and Instagram, or Pin this recipe on Pinterest!

Apple Crisp

Servings: 8
Time: 1 hr. 15 min.
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/4″ slices (about 8-9 cups)
6 tbs butter (slightly softened), plus more for greasing the pan (for vegan version use Earth Balance)
1 cup oats
2/3 cup organic sugar + 2 tbs organic sugar
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 pint vanilla ice cream (optional topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9″ x 13″ rectangular baking pan with butter and set aside. In a large bowl, toss apple slices with 2 tbs sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Spread apple slices evenly into baking pan. Using the same bowl, mix together butter, oats, 2/3 cup sugar, walnuts, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon with a fork until combined but still crumbly. Spread oat mixture evenly over apples. Bake for 40 minutes at 375F. Top should be golden brown and apple mixture will start to bubble a little. Allow to cool for about 15-20 minutes before serving. Top with a scoop of ice cream just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.