Food writers tend to overuse the term “old fashioned”, hoping it will evoke memories and cozy, nostalgic feelings. I’ve been guilty of that, too, but in this case, “old fashioned” is the only way I can think of to differentiate this apple crisp from what you may be expecting.
Every other crisp I make, like this Peach-Vanilla one and this Strawberry Rhubarb one, has a crumbly topping made with oatmeal. But I modeled this apple crisp after the one my mother used to make often when I was growing up. Instead of a crumb topping, it had a lid of cake-like batter enclosing the lightly sweetened apples. She usually served it plain as a simple weeknight dessert, without ice cream or sauce.
I don’t have the recipe she used, just the memory, which I’ve brought back to life here.
I have a radical fondness for McIntosh apples in pies, but for this one I toe the line with conventional baking apples – I used Mutzus for this post but you could use Granny Smiths or any other tart, firm variety.
The topping is what makes this crisp unique. The thick batter, made from butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon, comes together in about a minute. A handful of coarsely chopped pecans adds texture and warm, nutty flavor.
As it bakes, the batter forms a crust that encloses the apples underneath. With the batter on top and the apples below, the finished dessert resembles an upside-down cake more than a traditional fruit crisp.
Whenever I serve a fruit crisp I like to top it with something cool and creamy. For a special dinner I might add vanilla ice cream or a homemade Crème Anglaise (as shown below), but when I want to keep it simple, a drizzle of heavy cream is all it really needs.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Old Fashioned Apple Crisp can be made early in the day or the day before – and it may taste even better the second day. If you make it earlier in the day, hold it uncovered at room temperature; if you make it the day before, cover it and store it in the refrigerator.
- The crisp can be served chilled or at room temperature, but it’s best warm, especially if you plan to top it with ice cream, sauce or cream. Reheat it in a 300-degree oven until just heated through, about 15 minutes for a whole plate or 10 minutes for leftovers.
- Enjoy leftovers within a couple of days.
Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 4 large, tart, firm baking apples (such as Granny Smith or Mutzu), cored, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at soft room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup (4¼ ounces or 120 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons apple cider, apple juice or water
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
- Vanilla ice cream, Crème Anglaise, or heavy cream for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 375 degrees and place rack in bottom third.
- Step 2 Mound the apples in a deep 9-inch pie plate. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Add the cinnamon sugar to the apples and toss with your hands until all the apples are evenly coated with sugar.
- Step 3 Put the butter and brown sugar in a bowl and use a hand-held or stand mixer to cream them together until smooth. Add the flour and the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon and beat on low speed until combined. The mixture will be very dry and crumbly. Add the cider (or juice or water) and beat on low speed until the mixture comes together into a smooth and very thick batter. Stir in the pecans.
- Step 4 Spread the batter over the apples, using the back of a spoon to smooth it out to an even layer over the center of the apples. Try to cover as much of the apple as you can, but don’t worry if the batter doesn’t reach all the way to the edges of the plate.
- Step 5 Bake the crisp in the lower third of the oven for 50 to 55 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and crisp and the apples are soft and bubbling vigorously around the edges.
- Step 6 Cool for 15 minutes before serving, topped with ice cream, Crème Anglaise, or heavy cream.
