15-Minute Apple Crisp Recipe - Naturally Sweet Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the best apples to use for apple crisp? ›

Under the simple butter-sugar-flour-and-oat topping is the apple filling scented with cinnamon. Our test kitchen says baking apples, like Rome or Cortland, are the best varieties to use for apple crisp, but Empire, Gala, or Braeburn apples are also good in this recipe.

A combination of white sugar and molasses is your best bet for a brown sugar substitute, as that's exactly what brown sugar is made of (1). To make your own light brown sugar, mix 1 cup, or 200 grams (g), of granulated white sugar with 1 tablespoon (tbsp.), or 15 milliliters (mL), of molasses.

Lemon juice and vanilla extract – both of these are for complexity of flavor in your apple filling. You could leave them out if you don't have them, but they make a noticeable difference in the final product. Cornstarch or arrowroot starch – this is how we get a thick and not watery apple crisp!

How do you keep Apple crisp from getting soggy? You need enough butter in your topping, try both melted or cold cut into the dry ingredients. Also, there needs to be enough texture to keep it from just flattening into the fruit below.

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

Fuji: Fuji is the sweetest apple variety that Stemilt grows. Each crisp bite will remind you of the sweet taste of apple juice due to its naturally high sugar levels! Fuji apples are ideal for fresh applications like snacking, juicing, or freezing.

Often this happens if the crumb topping is over-mixed or if the butter was much too hot. Over-mixing will leave you with a pasty, batter-like mixture rather than the crumbly topping you are aiming for. Using very hot butter can cause the sugars to melt, leaving you with a greasy and not crumbly mixture.

Honey, Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup

While combining them with white sugar may produce an effect similar to brown sugar, these sweet liquids can also be a brown sugar substitute all on their own, particularly if the finished product is a liquid like a glaze or sauce.

Try these: Jonagold, Northern Spy, Honeycrisp and Cortlandt, Granny Smith and Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, or Sierra Beauty, Calville Blanc, Roxbury Russet are all firm enough to hold up in the oven. Avoid these: McIntosh, Gala, Fuji or Red Delicious.

Add a little extra fresh lemon juice to help prevent the apples from turning super brown. Prepare the entire apple crisp, cover well, and refrigerate the night before baking. Don't wait any longer than overnight before baking, to prevent the apples from browning too much or drying out/spoiling.

Why is there lemon juice in apple crisp? ›

In part: Add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to your prepared apples before you top them with apple crisp topping and butter mixture. The lemon juice will keep the apples from turning brown. Set your prepared apple crisp aside on the counter until ready to bake.

You can prepare the crisp through step 3, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day before baking. You can also freeze the unbaked crisp for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 4. Bake time will be a little longer since the crisp will be cold.

Yes, you can prepare the apples ahead of time and store them before making apple crisp. To prevent the apples from browning, toss them in lemon juice and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you're ready to make the apple crisp, simply proceed with the recipe as directed.

Texture & Use in Recipes: In terms of texture, Fuji apples are also a lot crisper, and less dense than Gala apples. So, they result in a firm bite with juicy flesh while Galas are softer and creamier. Their texture also means that Fujis are better for baking as they hold their shape better than Galas when cooked!

Honeycrisp. One of the sweetest apples around, this Midwestern favorite is good for anything—including baking. It boasts a distinctive juicy crispness and is firm enough that it won't cook down much. It complements just about any other apple variety to make a stellar pie.