Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

This old-fashioned Apple crisp recipe is oh so easy and perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

It’s the kind of dessert that grandma would make. Feeds your soul and makes the whole house smell heavenly all day long. Perfect for the holidays, get-together’s, and anytime you need some good ‘ol comfort food.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

This classic fall recipe is a garuanteed crowd-pleaser. Made with simple ingredients that are probably already in your pantry.

This old-fashioned dessert is packed with fresh apples, warm spices, and a crispy oatmeal crumb topping.

It’s perfect for any time of the year. But I also love to have a little bowl for breakfast with some vanilla ice cream on top and a warm cup of coffee. Yum!

Which Apples are Best for Apple Crisp?

Be sure to use baking apples in this recipe. Your best option is Granny Smiths because they stand up well to baking and have a nice tart flavor.

Other great choices include:

• Jonathan
• Golden Delicious
• Honeycrisp
• Gala

You may also use Red Delicious apples but do so with caution as they are a lot softer and sweeter than Granny Smiths.

Also, do not drown your apples with too much sugar. Trust me, you’ll ruin your apple crisp if the filling is way too sweet. Taste your apples beforehand to gauge just how much sugar you need. 

Tips & Tricks

• For an even tastier apple crisp, coat the apples in the cinnamon-sugar mixture instead of just sprinkling over them. 

• Add ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg to the cinnamon-sugar mixture for an even better flavor.

• Give your crust a crunchy twist by adding 1 ½ cups of chopped pecans.

• The crust in this recipe is so good you could also sprinkle some of it on top of your apple crisp! 

• The key to the perfect crust is butter – real dairy butter, that is. It’s the only ingredient that gives the crust that creamy flavor and crumbly texture. Do not even consider using margarine to make your crust. 

• Instead of melted butter, you can also use butter slices to make the crust: this will yield an even crumblier crust.

• Another tip to achieve a crumblier crust: press the crust down into the pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes (storing it in the fridge makes the butter re-harden). Then, break the crust up with a fork – Voila, an irresistibly crumbly crust! 

• Apple Crisp is best served warm. Don’t forget to top it with vanilla ice cream – it makes all the difference in the world. Butterscotch ice cream tastes great with it as well!

• Make your life easier and use an apple corer to core and slice your apples. This is one of my favorite little kitchen gadgets.

• You do not want your apples to turn out mushy, so make sure not to overcook your apples. You may use slightly thicker slices as a preventive measure.

• If you want a thicker mixture, you can cut the water in half.

• In the mood for peach cobbler? Easy: just use the exact recipe and use fresh peaches instead of apples! 

• Do not substitute rolled oats with quick oats! It will completely change the texture of your apple crisp.