Easy & Cozy Cinnamon Apple Crisp

4.80 from 29 votes

Easy & Cozy Cinnamon Apple Crisp

This easy apple crisp has all the cozy fall vibes - tender cinnamon apples, a buttery oat topping, and just the right sweetness. Simple to make, endlessly comforting, and best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Cooling Time15

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Traditional

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: servings

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Nora from Savory Nothings

Ingredients

For the topping:

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch salt
¼ cup cold butter or 1-2 tablespoons more if needed
chopped pecans or walnuts optional

For the filling:

4 medium-large apples cored, cut into 8 wedges and sliced into bite-sized pieces crosswise (about 1 ¾ pounds or 5-6 cups, sliced)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon apple pie spice OR ground cinnamon

Instructions

Prep:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 7×11-inch baking dish (or a small casserole or even a deep pie dish if that’s what you’ve got - this isn’t the kind of dessert that judges you). Get your ingredients ready.
Make the topping:
Stir together brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until large crumbles form - fingers work just as well as a pastry cutter. If it seems dry, add 1-2 extra tablespoons butter (this can happen if you measure out a little much flour, it's all good.)
½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch salt, ¼ cup cold butter
Chill the topping:
Chill the bowl for 5–10 minutes while you prep the apples (this keeps the topping crumbly, not melty).
Make the filling:
Add the sliced apples directly to the dish. Toss with sugar, flour, and spice until coated. For a juicier, more “apple-pie-filling” vibe, splash in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 2-3 tablespoons of water.
4 medium-large apples, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
Assemble:
Scatter the chilled topping evenly over the apples. Sprinkle on chopped pecans or walnuts if you want a little crunch.
chopped pecans or walnuts
Bake & serve:
Bake 30–45 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles around the edges. Let sit for about 10 minutes (if you can wait) before serving warm with vanilla ice cream.
Note: If the filling looks dry after 30 minutes, carefully pour in 2–4 tablespoons of water or apple juice and bake until bubbly. If the top gets too dark, loosely cover with foil after 20-25 minutes.

Video

Notes

Ingredient notes

If you don’t have any brown sugar for the topping, replace it with the same amount of white sugar.

If you want to use quick cooking oats in place of old fashioned rolled ones, you may need to use a little less butter for the topping – start with half the amount the recipe calls for and increase as you go.

Adjust the amount of sugar in the filling according to how tart your apples are. Taste-test a slice first, then decide if your fruit needs a little more sweetening.

Recipe tips

make sure to chill the topping for at least 5-10 minutes, or it could all melt into the apples instead of staying crumbly and streusel-y
I prefer tart apples that keep their shape for making apple crisp, something like Honeycrisp is great.
You can switch up the fruit if you like – pears, a mix of apples and pears or even peaches are delicious!

Nutrition