This easy old fashioned Apple Crisp (aka Apple Crumble) combines the sweet, spicy filling of apple pie with buttery, nutty oat streusel topping. Served with ice cream drizzled with a salted caramel sauce, it's a homey dessert that's sure to please!
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray a 9- x 9-inch baking pan with baking spray.
Make the filling: Peel and core the apples (I use a serrated peeler and a melon baller), then cut ¼-inch thick slices. Place the apple slices in a large mixing bowl and stir to separate them.
Mix in the brown sugar, rum, flour, melted butter, boiled cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt onto the apples. Stir well, making sure all the apples are all coated with the sugar mixture. Transfer the apples to the prepared baking pan. Set aside as you prepare the streusel.
Make the streusel: If you're using old-fashioned rolled oats, coarsely chop them in a small food processor (to mimic quick cooking oats).
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, rolled oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture is unevenly crumbly. You might even use your hands towards the end of this process. Toss in the nuts, if using.
Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the apples slices in the baking pan.
Set the pan on a half sheet baking pan that's been lined with a Silpat silicone mat, parchment paper, or aluminum foil to catch any drips. Bake the crisp for 55 to 75 minutes, or until it's bubbling and the streusel is golden brown.
Remove the crisp from the oven, and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. If you serve the crisp hot or warm, it may be soft. If you wait until it's completely cool, it'll firm up nicely.
Apple crisp is best served warmed. Even better, serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. Enjoy!
Storage instructions: Store the baked apple crisp in the refrigerator, cooled completely and covered tightly, for up to 3 days. When you're ready to serve, reheat the pan at 300 °F for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat individual portions briefly in the microwave.
Make-ahead instructions: Unbaked apple crisp (with the topping) can be made a day ahead, and stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly. Much longer than that and the topping will get too soggy.
Recipe Notes
Buy enough apples to yield 2 pounds peeled, cored, and sliced apples (about 9 cups when you're done). If you have an apple peeler/corer/slicer, you can prep the apples in a single step. Otherwise, a serrated peeler will make quick work of peeling the apples, and a melon baller is a good way to scoop out the core. Using a mandolin slicer speeds up the slicing and insures uniform pieces. Just be careful with the sharp blade, and make sure you use the food guard!The amount of brown sugar you'll use in the filling will depend on the sweetness/tartness of your apples. I use Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples (which are sweet and tart, respectively), so I split the difference and use ½ cup of brown sugar.Get creative with the liquid in the filling, just being sure to choose something that will complement the apples and cinnamon. You can use rum, bourbon, hard or straight apple cider (the alcohol cooks out from baking), or just apple juice or water.I highly recommend using boiled apple cider in the filling. It has that extra zap of apple flavor that really kicks this apple crisp up a notch. You can buy it from King Arthur Baking, but it’s really easy to make it yourself. You can also substitute thawed frozen apple juice for the boiled cider.It's easy to make your own homemade apple spice mix. Just whisk together the following ingredients (alter the spices and amounts to your preference). Makes about 2 tablespoons:
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon allspice or cloves
½ teaspoon cardamom
To make individual Apple Crisps: Spray eight 8-ounce ramekins with baking spray, and proceed with the recipe as directed. Bake the individual crisps for 45 to 55 minutes.To make an Apple Crisp for Two: For the filling, use 1 to 2 apples and half the amounts of the spices (leave the liquid the same, just let it cook down). For the topping, use 2 tablespoons each of flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, butter, and nuts; ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Bake in a 6½-inch cast-iron skillet for 10 to 12 minutes.