How To Make Your Best-Ever Apple Crisp

Classic apple crisp. Photo, Erik Putz.

Our apple crisp recipe is by far Chatelaine's most-popular fall dessert. Ever since the Chatelaine Kitchen debuted its updated version of this classic autumnal dish, people have gone bonkers for it—and for good reason.

A good apple crisp delivers the same warm flavours (thanks to a heavy dose of cinnamon) as an apple pie, but it's a much more rustic and nostalgic treat. And, unlike a labour-intensive apple pie recipe, apple crisps are incredibly easy to throw together, so you don't need to wait for a special occasion to enjoy one. Here's how to make classic apple crisp this fall.

Choose the right apples

An apple crisp spends about 30 minutes in the oven, so you want to choose an apple variety that won't turn to mush. Since you'll be tossing your apples in sugar, use a tart apple to provide some much-needed contrast. The Chatelaine Kitchen recommends using Granny Smith apples for this recipe, because they're tart and hold their shape when exposed to high heat. If you don't have Granny Smith apples on hand, you can try using Honey Crisp or Pink Lady apples.

Cut your apples evenly

Peel your apples using a Y-peeler to speed up this time-consuming part of the apple crisp process. While it's tempting to just hack up your apples, be mindful of how you cut them. To prevent gaps in your pan, and to promote even cooking, cut your apples into 1/2-inch thick slices and then cut those in half (cross-wise) so they're about 1/2-inch long.

Perfect your crumbly topping

A good apple crisp is filled with contrasting flavours and textures thanks to the warm, sweet-tart apple filling and the rich, crispy topping. But with your topping, you can choose your own adventure—do you like a topping with big, chunky crumbles? Or would you prefer a lighter texture?

For more crumbles, work your butter into the flour and oat mixture until you have big chunks of topping. For a lighter topping, work in the butter until your mixture has a sandy texture.

Top it with vanilla ice cream

In the recipe, vanilla ice cream is optional. But really, it should be mandatory because apple crisp is even better à la mode.

How to core and peel an apple