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Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

September 2, 202072 Comments 4.7

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Warm slices of baked apples covered with cinnamon brown sugar streusel topping are all that’s required to make this old fashioned apple crisp.

I love a warm apple dessert spiced with cinnamon and slightly sweetened but I don’t love eating the soupy dish that sometimes masquerades as an “apple crisp.”

This fruit-filled dessert recipe is not at all soupy, with soft apples covered with just enough crunchy topping to make it perfect.

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

All by itself or topped with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, this is one of our favorite desserts year-round. If you manage to have any leftovers after serving apple crisp for dessert, it makes a spectacular breakfast too!

You could also make this recipe for a big weekend brunch, coupled with a Breakfast Sausage Skillet or a Breakfast Hash.

In case you’re wondering, my favorite way to eat this is with my morning coffee and a scoop of ice cream. It’s probably a good thing that I don’t usually have a fresh apple crisp waiting in the kitchen in the morning.

Every now and then, though, it’s a delicious way to start the day and always puts me in a terrific mood.

How To Make An Apple Crisp

This recipe is so easy to pull together and only takes a few minutes of prep time. The most labor-intensive part is slicing your apples. To save time, I don’t peel the apples for this recipe, though you certainly can.

You can use any kind of apples you like in this old fashioned apple crisp and it will come out tasting good each and every time.

Granny Smith apples yield a little bit more tartness and pair nicely with the brown sugar and cinnamon. My favorite combination is a mix of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples.

Slicing the apples thinly and evenly is important for getting the perfect apple crisp texture. Apples that are sliced too thick will still taste good but may not end up as buttery soft.

Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples are the ultimate combination for Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp Topping

Apple crisps and fruit crisps are the ultimate in forgiving dessert recipes. There’s no pressure to decorate anything or make it look super fancy, no measuring out batter or shaping of dough.

To make the Apple Crisp Topping, combine softened butter with brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend with a spoon or your fingers until crumbly.

Sprinkle the topping over the apples in the baking dish. Pop the whole pan in the oven and wait until everyone in your house wanders into the kitchen to find out what smells so good!

Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

I have made this apple crisp with both all-purpose flour and oat flour. Both ways come out extremely well and I don’t have a preference for one over the other. The oat flour works so well with the oats in the crumb topping!

Tip: If you’re cooking for someone with Celiac disease,  be sure the oats and oat flour you use are certified gluten-free. Some oats are processed on the same equipment as gluten containing products which can be an issue for those with severe gluten allergies.

Plenty of cinnamon brown sugar topping makes a classic apple crisp awesome
Apple Desserts

There’s no end to the ways you can use fresh apples in desserts and baked goods. I love them in a traditional pie or a homemade applesauce, of course, but apples are also fun in unexpected dishes like Apple Nachos. (Your kids will LOVE those, believe me.)

For more great apple desserts, check out this German Apple Pie, the Slow Cooker Stuffed Apples, this Apple Cheddar Galette, and these Apple Cheesecake Crumb Bars are all terrific ways to use fresh apples.

And if you haven’t made apple butter before (or if it’s been a while), you NEED to go make a batch of Slow Cooker Apple Butter. It’s total apple heaven and so easy to make!

If you’re looking for more fruit crisps, this Blackberry Coconut Crisp and this Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp are both brilliant ways to enjoy summer fruits in your dessert. Can’t decide whether to make a fruit crisp or bars? These Apricot Crisp Bars are the absolute best of both worlds!

Classic Apple Crisp

Gluten Free Desserts

It’s so easy to make delicious gluten free desserts that everyone can enjoy. Gluten free baking sometimes has a reputation for requiring lots of unusual, hard-to-find, special ingredients but that definitely doesn’t have to be the case!

Most of my gluten free dessert recipes can be made with items you already have in your pantry or can easily find at most grocery stores. I even wrote a short e-book with my favorite gluten free desserts!

Looking for even more gluten free dessert recipes? I’ve got a full list of gluten free desserts on this site here.

Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp with Ice CreamApple Crisp Recipe

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small baking dish with butter.
  2. Spread the apples across the greased baking pan.
  3. Combine the butter with brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend with a spoon or your fingers until crumbly
  4. Sprinkle the topping over the apples and bake for 30-32 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.
  5. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Baking tip: If when you add the butter to the dry topping ingredients it is not soft enough to easily mix into crumbs, you can place the whole bowl (dry ingredients and butter both) in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, just long enough to soften the butter and make it easy to blend into crumbs for the topping.

Classic Apple Crisp is a favorite all year long

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Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

4.72 from 21 votes
Buttery brown sugar and oat topping over sweet baked apples is a heavenly dessert year round. Topped with vanilla ice cream this is a classic dessert that's great for any occassion.
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Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients 

  • 4 thinly sliced apples, about 6 cups worth
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or oat flour for a gluten free recipe)
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup softened butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small baking dish with butter, 8, 9, or 10 inch pans will all work great. Place the sliced apples in the baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss with your hands.
  • Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt for the topping in a medium-size bowl. Add the softened butter and blend with a fork, spoon, or your fingers until crumbly.
  • Sprinkle the topping over the apples and bake for 30-32 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!

Notes

Baking tip: If when you add the butter to the dry topping ingredients it is not soft enough to easily mix into crumbs, you can place the whole bowl (dry ingredients and butter both) in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, just long enough to soften the butter and make it easy to blend into crumbs for the topping.

Nutrition

Calories: 304kcal · Carbohydrates: 58g · Protein: 2g · Fat: 8g · Saturated Fat: 2g · Sodium: 174mg · Potassium: 173mg · Fiber: 3g · Sugar: 45g · Vitamin A: 387IU · Vitamin C: 4mg · Calcium: 41mg · Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

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{originally published 6/2/2014 – 9/2/20}

No one can resist this Apple Crisp

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says

    You know I vote for dessert for breakfast – that way you can recover the rest of the day and work it off. Just a thought – works for me! This looks like a wonderful way to start the day – and apples have plenty of fiber and other natural health benefits – just saying 🙂 Have a great week Mary!

    Reply

  4. Sarah says

    This looks incredible, and I'm even more excited to add it to the ice cream you just posted! What kind of apples do you usually use for it?

    Reply

    • Mary says

      I'm not picky about the apples. I love honeycrisps, but I won't buy them just for baking. I tend to use Fuji apples and Granny Smiths most of the time for baking.

    • Mary says

      The only difference for the two in this recipe is the choice to use oat flour (for gluten free) or all-purpose flour (for a traditional version). When making the gluten-free version, you'll want to make sure both your oats and oat flour are certified gluten free.

  8. Kristina says

    This is so good… I ate most of it myself 😮 replaced brown sugar with coconut sugar, it was delicious!

    Reply

  11. Jane says

    I have a bunch of apples from a friends tree. I want to make several of these and freeze them. do you have any idea how long to bake from the frozen state? Thank you.

    Reply

  12. Brenda says

    Have made lots of apple crisp, however your recipe looks yummy! So have it in the oven now! Here’s to happy baking!

    Reply

    • Mary says

      I haven’t tried it myself, but it should work with firm coconut oil. (I’d recommend a refined coconut oil to avoid adding coconut flavor to the recipe.)

  16. Kelly Curry says

    This is seriously amazing! I have made many an apple crisp and keep coming back to this one again and again! So simple and delicious!!!5 stars

    Reply

  17. Lynn Deakin says

    Very delicious. I made it gluten free with rolled past processed a bit and gluten free flour.
    The topping was very very sweet. Wonder if I mixed half of the sugar with the apples and the other half in the topping if it would have been better

    Reply

  18. Lynn Deakin says

    Very delicious. I made it gluten free with rolled oats processed a bit and gluten free flour.
    The topping was very very sweet. Wonder if I mixed half of the sugar with the apples and the other half in the topping if it would have been better

    Reply

  22. Always in the kitchen says

    Wow I’ve come back to your site again to say this recipe is a keeper. I made apple crisp twice this week. The first time I winged it, how hard can it be right? And the second time I made it was your recipe. My family, husband, 12 year old son and 9 year old daughter raved about your recipe, saying it was the best apple crisp ever. So I’m keeping it thank you. I had used about 1/4 of the wheat flour you called for and then substituted almond flour for the rest of the wheat flour. Turned out great. Would probably work using all almond flour. ( I was too lazy to buzz up the oats to make oat flour). Thanks bare feet5 stars

    Reply

  23. J says

    I swapped the rolled oats for one instant package of GF maple brown sugar oatmeal (it’s what I had on hand). I used reduced the brown sugar to 1/2 cup. I also used GF flour. It was delicious!! Next time I might add pecans to the topping.5 stars

    Reply

  24. Diane Russ says

    We have a friend that suffers with celiac. I wanted to have him for dinner and researched recipes. Dessert I decided to make apple crisp. I bought gf oats and made the oat flour. Your recipe was delicious. He hasn’t had apple crisp since he was a child and he is 70. I served warm with vanilla ice cream.5 stars

    Reply

  25. Mom24 says

    Hi! I’m planning on making this this weekend, the GF version because one of my guests eats GF. I would prefer not to buy another GF flour, I currently have cup 4 cup, and almond flour. Would you use one of those, or should I blitz GF oats in the food processor and use that? Thank you! Love your site and your recipes.

    Reply

  27. BethAnneF says

    I used almond flour and I made a little more. My daughter, myself and my neighbour loved it!!! I also had no nutmeg so I used Pie Spice. This turned out just perfect!5 stars

    Reply

  28. Amanda says

    Hello! Made this for lunch with vegan GF friends today, a smash! Substitutes were: King Arthur GF flour and buttery smart balance. Insanely good! Might add fresh cranberries next time?? Kept peels on apples (Snapdragons), always looks nicer to me. Thank you so much for excellent, easy recipe!5 stars

    Reply

  32. Mary says

    I came across your recipe while searching for a gluten-free alternative to the traditional Publix Thanksgiving apple pie. Using certified gluten-free rolled oats resulted in a delicious dessert that had my extended family asking for more. We have made this dessert multiple times and it is always easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.5 stars

    Reply

  33. Cheryl says

    Great recipe Mary! I know you said this could be made a day ahead, can I put all the ingredients together a day ahead put it in the refrigerator and then bake it the next day?

    Thanks!5 stars

    Reply

  34. Gloria says

    I made this in the gluten free version for my group meeting tonight. It was quite a hit! Good yjing I doubled the recipe! Thanks!

    Reply

  35. Gloria says

    Our small group from church has several members that eat gluten free, one with celiac. I made this apple crisp in the gluten free version, doubling the recipe, when it was my turn to provide a dessert. It was quite a hit! There were no left-overs snd several asked for my recipe. It definitely deserves 5 stars!5 stars

    Reply

  39. Lorna says

    Very easy to make GF. But the apple portion of this calls for 2/3 C brown sugar and 1/2 t cinnamon. However, when you read the instructions for combining it states its 1/4 C brown sugar… I already added the 2/3 (probably a typo) so I went with it but added more apples to help take away from it being too sweet. The topping calls for 2/3 C brown sugar and that’s probably where the mistake happened on the directions.5 stars

    Reply

  40. athina says

    This is the second time I made this. The first time it was for a pot lock and everyone loved it and said it was the best thing there. Now I am just making it for my family but I am so exited to eat this dish. I make it with sour apples and gluten free flour for the best results. 🙂5 stars

    Reply

  42. Gabby Everest says

    It was a phenomenal apple crisp, the only thing wrong was that there wasn’t enough topping, but besides that it was so delicious.4 stars

    Reply

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