This amazingly delicious, classic Apple Crisp recipe had been my go-to apple crisp recipe for years. Every fall during apple-picking season, I’d pull this recipe out of a binder that I keep of old tried-and-true recipes I’ve collected, and I would bake this perfect apple crisp.
And then…I lost the recipe.
I looked through every page of my recipe binder with no luck! I tried recreating this apple crisp from memory – I had made it so many times that I remembered the combination of ingredients, but not the exact proportions. And over these last few years, I tried many other apple crisp recipes – but none compared to this one!
But, eureka! I found this apple crisp recipe a few weeks ago (in my binder, just filed in the wrong section…) and I was finally able to make it again! This apple crisp more than lived up to memory, and my husband Jack thinks it’s the best apple crisp he has ever eaten!
Slices of sweet apples are combined with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg plus a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of flour (which help to thicken the juices from the apples into the perfect, sweet creamy sauce) and then placed in a large casserole dish. The apple mixture is then topped with a generous topping of flour, oats, brown sugar and butter that bakes into the perfect crisp.
This recipe is very versatile and you can use a mix of apples depending on what is available in your area. It’s best to use a combination of both apples that stay firm while baking (such as Cortland, Honey Crisp or Gravenstein) and some apples that cook down to a soft consistency when baking (such as MacIntosh).
Served with some vanilla ice cream – this is the perfect fall dessert!
This recipe was originally printed in The Boston Globe and is adapted from the Tougas Family Farm Cookbook which you can find online here. The Tougas Family Farm bakes and sells tray after tray of this delicious apple crisp every fall at their farm store located in Northborough, Massachusetts.
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Apple Crisp
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Apples:
- 9–10 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Topping:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup oats
- ½ cup butter (1 stick) cut into 1-inch pieces
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish or 9×13-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the apple slices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss to coat the apples and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- To make the topping, combine the flour, brown sugar and oats in a medium bowl. Add the butter pieces, and with your fingers, rub the butter in the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the topping is crisp and golden and the inside is warm and bubbly.
- Let sit for about 30 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream
Keywords: apple, Fall,
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I am making this dish for a get together this evening and wondering if I could put it all together and set in the refrigerator then bake it as we are esting our meal so it will be warm for topping with ice cream. I have another dish to put in the oven prior to dinner so would not be able to bake this until afterward. Thank you in advance.
Hi Lynn – You can, but I’d suggest holding off on adding the topping until ready to bake. Also, if everything is chilled, it will take longer to bake so plan accordingly, or keep at room temperature until baking. Hope that helps!
I followed this recipe and it came out great! I would now like to make a gluten free version for a friend. Anything I should consider before swapping the flour and oats to GF versions?
★★★★★
Hi Kelsey – I’ve only made this as written, but I think as long as the GF flour you are using is one of the one-to-one varieties (we always have good luck with King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill) it should be an even swap.
Going to try this. I love apples.
We hope you love the apple crisp Tish!
Absolutely delicious, especially served with vanilla ice cream. I did omit the nutmeg, I would make it optional. Comfort dessert for fall.
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Andrea!
To help brown the topping cover the pan with foil and take off the last 10-15 mins for it to nicely brown.
Thanks for the suggestion! We didn’t find that putting foil on top was necessary but if that works better for you, that’s totally fine!
So easy and delicious! We love this recipe and are making 3 batches of it tonight to use up some apples from our tree.
★★★★★
Thanks Amy!
Any apple crisp or pie recipe has to have some orange juice.
By all means, feel free to add it if you’d like Charmaine!
How can I cut this recipe to fit an 8×8 pan. This is too large!
Thanks
Hi Carol – I’d cut the ingredients in half for that size pan. Enjoy!
So good! I made it exactly to recipe and it was to die for. The second time, I threw in about half a cup of leftover pumpkin puree and added some pp spices. Also delicious!
I love that idea Erin! I’m going to try adding the pumpkin the next time we make this recipe! Thanks for writing to us – so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
My daughter’s boyfriend loves apple crisp, and he was due to come home from college for a long weekend, so she asked me to make it for him. I was more than happy to do so and decided to use this recipe, since it seemed to be the closest to the way my late mother made it. (I don’t think Mom even had a written-down recipe. It was one of those things she just made off the top of her head.) I used several different variety of apples, which is something I usually do when making apple anything, and upped the amount of oats by just a bit. Otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter. The only thing I might do differently next time is use an 11×17 baking dish and bake it for a bit longer, just so the servings have a bit more heft to them. This is really an excellent recipe. I served it with Redi-Whip squirted on top, but both Adrienne and Carter allowed as how it would be really good with vanilla ice cream.
No, wait, 11×17 is a size of copier paper that I use at work. I meant 11×7.
Thanks Jeanne – So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Sounds really good. Eill be making this with Paula reds we picked. Just wanted to mention that it’s extra special if you drizzle Carmel topping over the icecream. Had that in a restaurant. .too die for
Sounds delicious Arleen!
Martha, Can you half this recipe? If so, is the baking time the same? Thanks!
Hi Chris – Yes – You can half the recipe. The baking time will probably be less – depending on what kind of baking dish you use, I’d start checking about 1/2 way through the baking time and then it’s done when the apples are bubbling and the top is golden brown.
Do you think I could half this and bake in a 9×9 or 8×8 pan?
Yes Christie – That should work just fine!
Can I make this in the morning and keep in fridge to bake later in the evening?
Hi Kathy – Yes you can. However, the baking time will be longer if it’s chilled so please plan for that – or, you could take it out of the refrigerator ahead of time to bring it back up to room temperature before baking.
Would adding some brown sugar up the flavor a little?
Hi Shandy – You can certainly add brown sugar if you’d like!
Wondering if you have ever froze this and then baked later?
Hi Ashley – No – I’m sorry we haven’t tried freezing this!
Thanks so much for this recipe!! Not exactly a whiz in the kitchen but I performed a miracle!! Best apple crisp ever!!
So glad you all enjoyed it Stephanie! Thanks for taking the time to write to us to let us know!
This recipe is delicious!! It is one of my family’s favorites! Thanks for posting it!
You’re very welcome April – glad you all enjoy the recipe!
Hi Martha,
I wanted to make this for my mom as apple crisp is her favorite! But I won’t be able to make it the day of. I will have to make it tonight to give to her tomorrow. What is storing like on this dish? Would you lose the crunch of the topping overnight? Thanks so much!
Hi Casey – You do loose a little bit of the crunch but even reheated – it’s fantastic! One idea for you – you could partially bake it tonight and then finish baking it the rest of the way in the morning to heat back up and also crisp up the top again. Hope that helps – and I hope your mom enjoys this as much as we did!
Hi, would this work in a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish?
Hi Karen – Yes – that should be large enough for this recipe!
Thanks so much for the recipe Martha!….made it today for my husbands birthday….he loved it as did I…..it’s a keeper!
So glad you all enjoyed the recipe Susan! Thank you!
When is a good time to add pecans to this recipe? I think it would be really good with pecans but not sure when to add them in the cooking process.
Hi Linda – I’d add them as you are mixing up the apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Let us know how it comes out!
Martha, I would like to make this recipe in a larger quantity (in a 10×15″ 4 quart dish). Most likely the baking time will need to be increased….any tips or suggestions?
Hi Kathleen – My guess is the cooking time would be closer to an hour – but check it after 45 minutes or so. You can tell it is done when the apple mixture is bubbly and the top is a golden brown. Hope that helps!
Thanks, will let you know how it turns out! As a New Englander I am familiar with Tougas Farm…I’m sure the recipe will be great!
Hi Kathleen (fellow New Englander 🙂 ) – I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!
Looks so yummy. I’m gonna make it tonight!
Thanks Monique!
My husband and I made this tonight, and it was so delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Amanda! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this last week exactly as outlined in the recipe and it was delicious! Can’t wait to make it again. This will be a fall staple for sure.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Stephanie! (I’m excited to make it again this fall once apple season is here again…)
Turned out great!!! Thank you!!
So glad Lara!! Thanks for letting us know!
Oh my goodness – this was SO good! Thanks for sharing the recipe – it is exactly what I was craving! The whole family loved it.
Thank you so much Becky!!
Tried this tonight and it was fabulous!! Thanks for such a great recipe.
Thanks Lauren!
Hi Martha! Just made this recipe this past week, and everybody loved it. Thanks for sharing .
Thanks Virna! Glad you (and everyone else) enjoyed the recipe! See you soon – Martha
Could you use quick oats with this or only old fashioned oats?
Could I use quick oats with this? Or do they need to be regular old fashioned?
Hi Christie – You could probably get away with using the quick oats without any issues. It might be a little softer of a topping, but I think it will work! Let us know how it comes out!
I love apple crisp! I wanted to make some but my cookbooks are in storage right now, so I checked out Pinterest & found this recipe. I made it tonight – it is AMAZING!!! Just like my mom’s. My boyfriend had never had apple crisp & hasn’t stopped complimenting me on it!! Thank you for posting!!!
You are very welcome Sabrina!
Thanks so much! Made this tonight on a whim and it turned out beautifully! So good and so easy. 🙂 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it Sally!
I hate losing the perfect recipe! So glad you found it again. I’ll have to try this one!
I hope you like it as much as we do Cara!