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The Hygge House

Easy Apple Crisp

This Apple Crisp is simple enough for a beginner, but tastes like an experienced home-baker made it. It is warm, spiced, and oh-so-cozy.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple Filling
  • 5 large Honeycrisp apples*
  • 1/4 c Pure Maple Syrup*
  • 1.5 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Allspice
  • 3 tbsp All-purpose flour* -This absorbs excess juices. (See notes for a gluten-free option)
  • 1/4 c Water -This is just to keep things from burning and start the steaming process before the apples release their juices.
Crisp Topping
  • 1 stick Cold, salted butter*
  • 1/2 c White cane sugar
  • 1/2 c Old-fashioned oats -I don't recommend quick oats; they are not sturdy enough to hold the desired texture through cooking.
  • 1 c All-purpose flour -If you are gluten-free, I imagine an oat or almond flour might be nice in this.
  • 1/3 c Chopped pecans -This is entirely up to preference; add more, add less, omit, or keep the same!
  • 1.5 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Allspice

Method
 

Apple Filling
  1. Chop your apples into bite-sized pieces and place them in a pot. This does not have to be perfect. If your apples come out different sizes, they will cook unevenly, but that's okay! It adds a depth of texture, with some pieces (the smaller ones) being softer than others.
  2. Mix the apples with the other filling ingredients EXCEPT the flour/cornstarch. This means: cinnamon, allspice, maple syrup, and water. Bring to a simmer on the stove at medium temp., then turn to low and continue simmering for about 25-30 minutes, or until the apples are softened with a bit of bite to them. (If you want to preserve texture, remove from heat before they get too soft- they will cook a little more in the oven)
  3. Add flour- You will now make your topping while the apples simmer. When your apples are almost done (about one minute left of cook time), you will add the flour and mix well. If you opt for cornstarch, you will make the slurry (see notes) and cook for about 30 seconds.
Crisp Topping
  1. Preheat your oven to 350℉
  2. Chop your pecans (or buy them pre-chopped).
  3. Add the pecans, sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and allspice to a mixing bowl.
  4. Cut your cold butter into small cubes. This, also, does not have to be perfect. You're about to smash them up anyway!
  5. Add your butter cubes to the mixture and stir them around with your hands to coat in sugar/flour. Then begin smooshing the butter cubes between your fingers, re-coat in sugar/flour, smoosh, re-coat.... and continue doing this until you have something resembling wet sand. Really have fun with this! Bigger clumps= bigger cookie-like chunks, smaller clumps= a finer, more even crumble. I personally like to leave some larger chunks.
  6. Pour your finished apples into a 9x13 baking dish, spread evenly, then cover with your crisp topping and spread that evenly as well.
  7. Bake at 350℉ for about 40 minutes, or until your topping is browned and toasty.
  8. Serve. This dessert is fantastic on its own, but if you would like to take it up a notch, I would recommend pairing it with vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!

Notes

**Time required for recipe- this is assuming you assemble the crumble while your apples simmer. If you wait until the apples are done, add about 10-15 minutes to the total time for this recipe.
*Apples- I use Honeycrisp- they are the perfect combination of sour and sweet. This dessert is topping-heavy, about 50/50. If you would like more apples, feel free to add them- but you will want to increase the other filling ingredients as well.
*Maple syrup- Feel free to substitute with white or brown sugar; just keep in mind the flavor won't be quite the same, and the sugared apples may come out sweeter. I prefer my apples less sweet to preserve that sourness, and get the sweetness from the topping.
*Flour in filling- for a gluten-free swap, you will use cornstarch. Cornstarch thickens more efficiently than flour, so use 1.5 tbsp cornstarch in place of the 3 tbsp flour. For best results, whisk the cornstarch with 1-2 tbsp cold water to create a slurry, then stir it into the apple mixture while it's simmering. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, or until it's glossy and thick. 
*Butter- It must be cold or the topping won't have those crumbly, cookie-like bits! If you only have unsalted, I recommend adding a little salt to bring out the flavors and sweetness. Salt is necessary for balance.
 
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