This is The Easiest Apple Crisp recipe. It is warm and gooey from the apple filling yet crunchy and nutty from the crumble. It's the perfect way to end any fall meal or heck, to eat alone with some vanilla ice cream and an extra big spoon.
The majority of fruit crisp recipes contain butter or if they are paleo, will most likely contain coconut oil. While I am pro-butter and a big fan of coconut oil, I wanted to change up the ingredients in this recipe. I really wanted to recreate a traditional apple crisp so I used almond butter. The almond butter helps all the crumble ingredients stick together while giving the topping a nutty taste. I prefer it to using coconut oil since coconut oil can leave a tropical taste in your mouth and can be unpleasant in certain dishes.
A couple notes about The Easiest Apple Crisp:
What kind of apple is best for baking?
Not all apples are created equal and it's important to remember that when it comes to baking apples. When using apples in pies or tarts you will want to avoid apples like the super soft Mcintosh. Mcintosh apples combined with heat turn them into total mush. I learned in culinary school that Granny Smith apples were the best for baking and I can say 10 years later, they are still my top choice. Granny Smith apples are tart so they contrast well to sweeteners and have a firm texture which holds up to baking in the oven.
Interested in making more fall inspired desserts? Try my sweet potato bundt cake with cashew buttercream which is the perfect ending to any meal.
The Easiest Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 3 pounds Granny Smith apples Weighed BEFORE peeling and cutting
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tbsp tapioca starch
For the topping:
- 1 ½ cups pecan pieces or chopped pecans
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Peel, seed and cut apples into 1 inch cubes
- Once all the apples are peeled and chopped place in a bowl and add the lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, and tapioca starch and toss until the apples are well coated
- Spread the apples out in a 9 x 13 baking dish and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes
- While the apples are baking, combine all the crumble ingredients in a bowl and mix until incorporated
- Once the apples have baked for 30 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven and spread the crumble mixture out evenly on top. The crumble mixture is pretty gooey so you will end up with some clumps on top of the apples
- Place the baking dish back into the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the crumble turns golden brown and the apples are bubbling
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When the apple crisp is done baking, you may noticed that it has risen in the oven. This is from the juices and apples bubbling and it will shrink once taken out of the oven.
- My favorite way to enjoy this apple crisp is served warm with vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!
Delicious apple crisp recipe. Simple, clean ingredients, yet packed with flavor. Cannot wait to try out another one of your recipes. So grateful I found your site!
I am so pleased to hear you enjoyed the apple crisp, Julie Ann!