Easy Apple Crisp with No Oats
Try this Easy Apple Crisp with No Oats recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Easy Apple Crisp with No Oats recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of kosher salt
- 4-5 apples (i use 2 granny smith and 2 sweeter apples whatever i have on hand)
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1 stick unsalted butter diced
- **if you want to use chopped toasted pecans or walnuts in the topping, decrease the flour by 1/2 cup and use 1 cup of chopped nuts.
- Carbohydrate 102.336280956883 g
- Cholesterol 40.4916666666667 mg
- Fat 15.6187091670533 g
- Fiber 1.13125000848144 g
- Protein 3.39157833737177 g
- Saturated Fat 9.7479200000614 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (136g)
- Sodium 421.08366719911 mg
- Sugar 101.205030948401 g
- Trans Fat 1.17823366679408 g
- Calories 553 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Butter a medium-sized shallow casserole dish. Mine is a little smaller than a 9x13 dish.
- Peel and chop apples into ½-inch pieces right into the buttered dish.
- Add the lemon juice to the apples and gently toss to coat the apples.
- Add the vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cornstarch and gently mix until distributed throughout the apples.
- Stir together the flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, a little freshly grated nutmeg, and a pinch of salt.
- Add the butter and use your hands to mix until a pebbly, crumbly mixture.
- Sprinkle half the topping over the apples and move the apples around a bit so some of the topping is mixed in with the apples.
- Sprinkle remaining topping over the apples.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until topping is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for fifteen minutes.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
Why does flour outperform oats when building a structural topping for baked fruit? Traditional crumbles lean on rolled oats for texture, but a flour-and-butter base delivers distinct density and cohesion without the chewy grain profile. British fruit crumbles historically emerged during World War II rationing when pastry fats were scarce, forcing home cooks to invent quick flour-and-fat toppings that required no rolling pin. This adaptation strips away the oats entirely, relying on a pure flour, sugar, and butter ratio to form crisp clusters over the fruit layer.
Mastering the Pebbly Texture
Working cold unsalted butter into all-purpose flour requires tactile engagement rather than mechanical tools. Use clean fingertips to rub the 1 stick of diced fat into the dry mixture until large, pea-sized crumbs form. If the butter melts entirely from hand heat before baking, the topping spreads into a solid sheet instead of baking into distinct clusters. Keep the oven calibrated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure the butter moisture evaporates quickly, creating steam pockets that lift the flour mixture into a sandy, crumbly crust during the 30 to 40 minute bake time.
- Decrease the all-purpose flour by 1/2 cup and substitute 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts if additional crunch is desired.
- Allow the baked dessert to rest for 15 minutes before serving so the cornstarch slurry cools and thickens the fruit juices.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, reheating gently in a 300 degree oven to restore the crisp top.
