Apple Crisp
This classic Apple Crisp is made with lightly sweetened and spiced apples and topped with a crispy crumble topping with oats and pecans. It’s baked in a skillet and best served with vanilla ice cream! This post is sponsored by Truvia® through Socialstars. #TruFanCommunity
I’ve wondered for a while now: what in the world is the difference between a crisp and a crumble? Both of them are crumbly toppings, usually thrown on top of fruit, baked in an over into bubbly, golden, and gorgeous. Traditionally made with lots of butter, sugar, and flour for ultimate deliciousness.
I’m a huge fan of both crisps and crumbles, but today, curiosity got the best of me and I did a little research. Turns out, the two terms tend to be pretty interchangeable according to most sources. A few places did claim a difference between the two in that crisp toppings usually included oats, whereas crumbles usually don’t have any oats.
Now, I can’t say if that’s absolutely true, but if it is, then I’m definitely a crisp girl. I love the wonderful texture that oats add to the crumbly topping. They make it extra crispy, which I guess is where the name comes from! I also love to add nuts to my crisp and crumble toppings. For this crisp, I added chopped pecans – one of my faves! You can definitely sub in your favorite nut.
I can eat apple crisp all day, every day, and I have a couple apple crisp “must haves”: soft, tender apples, a heavy dose of cinnamon and a little bit of nutmeg, not too much sugar, and of course – the ultimate crumbly crisp topping.
I definitely don’t like when my apple crisps are too cloyingly sweet, which some can be, especially if you use sweet apples. In this crisp, I used Truvia® Brown Sugar Blend instead of regular brown sugar in both the apple mixture as well as the crumble topping and you can’t tell! The apple crisp is still definitely sweet enough, and using Truvia® products make the perfect substitution if you’re trying to cut back on sugar.
I used a hefty dose of cinnamon and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg because I love fall spices and wanted my house to smell delicious while this was baking. You can cut down the cinnamon a bit if you’re not as big of a fan as I am!
The crumble topping forms a nice thick layer on top of the crisp, which I love because it’s my favorite part. Add some vanilla ice cream on top, let it melt into those delicious crumble crevices, and you have got my favorite dessert sitting in front of you.
This is the ultimate fall apple dessert, if you ask me, and it was about time I showed a classic version of my favorite! I hope you all love it as much as I do. Enjoy!
Remember to tag #bakerita if you try the recipe. Come hang out with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Pinterest!
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Apple Crisp
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
- 4 large baking apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
- ¼ cup Truvia brown sugar blend
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the topping
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Truvia brown sugar blend
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter (cold and cut into cubes)
- ½ cup pecans (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- For the crumble, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add butter and cut into mixture with pastry cutter or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside while you prepare the apples.
- In a large bowl mix the Truvia brown sugar blend, 1 teaspoon flour, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Add the apples and 1/2 cup of the crumble topping and toss to combine.
- Pour the apple mixture into a greased 9” skillet pan or 9” square pan. Top with the remaining crumble mixture.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Notes
To make this recipe using regular brown sugar, use 1/2 cup light brown sugar in the apple mixture and 1 cup brown sugar in the crumble topping.
I agree, you’ve gotta have oats in your crisp topping. This apple crisp looks perfect! Especially for fall. And I love that you cooked them in a cast iron skillet. Makes me want to dig right in : )
Thanks so much, Natalie! Cast irons are my favorite. Just so homey :)
Apple crisps are my absolute favorite fall dessert! This looks awesome – love that topping with all the oats! Yay for fall and apples!
Yes yes yes. Skillet treats for life!
This looks awesome! Love anything in a skillet- pinning :)
This looks like such a perfect fall dessert! Love that you used Truvia in this too, just means you can eat more ;)
Haha, that’s my way of thinking, Danielle ;)
Yum! Apple crisp is a favourite comfort food. :)
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
It’s one of mine too, Bella!
This really is the ultimate Fall dessert, looks amazing!
This apple crisp is seriously holding all my fall dreams right now! I mean, that TOPPING! And all those glorious apples hanging out underneath! I just want to dig right into my screen. ;)
It doesn’t get more festive and autumny than apple crisp! Yum, this sounds so good right now!
This crisp looks fantastic! I always get crisp and crumble mixed up too! Who would have thought it’d be so confusing??
You can’t ever go wrong with apple crisp! This looks like an awesome recipe and I definitely share the confusion over crisp and crumble haha.
I have always wondered the difference between a crisp and a crumble. I personally love crisp more because of the oat crumble topping. Love how homey this recipe is!
If oats are the defining factor, crisps are definitely my favourite too! This apple crisp looks so good- those cinnamony cooked apples and crisp topping (love the added pecans, by the way) with melting vanilla ice cream.. <3 I haven't made many apple cinnamon crisps, as apple-rhubarb-berry used to be a family favourite, but think I might have to try the staple apple crisp again – ultimate comfort food! X
Haha, I have always wondered what the difference between a crisp and a crumble was! Actually, I always assumed they were the same thing.
But this apple crisp sounds amazing! I love apple season :)
Rachel, I’m so with you on crisps and this one looks like the EPITOME of fall. Face planting now :)
Whatever you call it, I am all about that crumble/crisp topping! This looks delicious, Rachel!
Wow does this look good! I can never get enough of apple crisp, so I’m totally craving this! Love that you made this in a skillet, too!
Thank you, Gayle!
Oh I am definitely a crisp girl as well. I love the hearty crispy oats with the sweet soft apples. This recipe looks super simple and delicious. Im loving the skillet as well. Great idea.
I started making this yesterday for a dinner party. I got out my brown sugar and was curious what the Truvia blend was all about so followed the link and discovered how many calories brown sugar alone was going to bring to this dessert and immediately went to the store for truvia (7:45am). It came out great and although you can tell the difference when you taste it plain, it is incredibly close to brown sugar, and when baking with it it turned out to be indiscernable. I eat quite healthy and didn’t want the left overs following me home laden with calories to taunt me all week:) it was deliscious! I made coconut milk whipped cream to go along with it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the crisp and opted to try the Truvia brown sugar! It’s pretty cool how you can barely tell once it’s baked, right? Definitely a healthier alternative. Thanks for commenting to let me know how it turned out, Cassie!