In this Easy Apple Crisp recipe, tender honeycrisp apples topped with a simple and delicious oat topping. Served best warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and homemade caramel sauce. Serves 6 in under an hour.

warm apple crisp with a scoop of ice cream and caramel drizzle.

I have 2 rules when it comes to apple crisp.

Number 1: I cannot and will not make apple crisp without using honeycrisp apples. They are my favorite of all the apples, therefore I’ll pay whatever the cost is to have them. Plus they do have the ‘crisp’ thing in common. So it’s basically kismet.

Number 2: It has to be easy. And this easy apple crisp recipe is just that!

My sister Julie (Hi Jul!) gave me her recipe years ago. It was written on an actual recipe card and everything! Recently I stumbled on it while cleaning out my office last week. The recipe card slipped out of an old composition notebook and literally fell into my lap. Obviously it was a sign that I needed to make this apple crisp recipe, right?

Easy Apple Crisp ingredients; apples, oats, sugar, salt, flour, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans.

To Make This Easy Apple Crisp You will Need:

  • honeycrisp applesMay substitute with golden delicious.
  • light brown sugarAdds sweetness with subtle notes of caramel.
  • unbleached all-purpose flourThe base for the crisp topping.
  • quick cooking oatsLends delicious texture to the crumbly crisp topping.
  • cinnamon (ground) – Lends a distinct warm and woodsy flavor.
  • nutmeg (ground) – Warm, aromatic with subtle hints of clove.
  • butter (salted) – Softened to room temperature.
  • pecansAdd delicious nutty flavor to the crisp.

sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a glass mixing bowl

In a medium bowl add 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup quick cooking oats, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg and a small pinch of kosher salt.

add finely chopped pecans

Give that a quick mix all and add in 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans.

dry ingredients stirred together.

Stir once more until combined.

cutting butter into topping ingredients with pastry blender

Next, drop in 1/3 cup room temperature salted butter.

final topping in glass bowl.

Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into that brown sugar oatmeal goodness.

apples arranged in an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish

Slice 4 medium honeycrisp apples about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (go on and eyeball it) and arrange them in even layers inside a greased (I used coconut oil spray) 9×9 baking pan.

oat topping sprinkled over apples

Pinch and drop small clumps or simply dump all of the oatmeal topping onto the apples before sliding the pan into a pre-heated 375° oven.

freshly baked easy apple crisp

Bake for 30 minutes for tender yet not completely mushy apples, at least that’s how we like them here in the McNamara household.

However, if you’d like your apples even more tender, bake for longer. You may need to foil the top to keep the oatmeal topping from burning.

easy apple crisp served in a white bowl

Although delicious all on it’s own…

easy apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.

Hot apple crisp and cold vanilla ice cream is a match made in heaven.

easy apple crisp with a drizzle of caramel

Warm homemade caramel sends this over the top! It truly is a glorious thing.

easy apple crisp with a gold spoon

I made this in celebration of my kids being back to school. So I had dessert for lunch. My job so doesn’t suck.

This weekend you should totally bake something. Apples topped with a brown sugar, pecan and oat crumble sounds like an excellent idea. And it’s easy as pie err crisp(y) 😉.

Enjoy! And if you give this Apple Crisp recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 6 servings

Easiest Apple Crisp

In this Easy Apple Crisp recipe, tender honeycrisp apples topped with a simple and delicious oat topping. Served best warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and homemade caramel sauce.

Ingredients

FOR THE APPLE CRISP:

  • 4 medium honey crisp apples, cored and sliced 1/4 an inch thick
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing baking pan
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 375° and grease an 9x9 (or 9-inch cake pan) with butter.
  • In a medium bowl combine the sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine and add in the chopped pecans.
  • Add in the softened butter and blend (using a pastry blender) until combined.
  • Arrange the apples in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
  • Pinch and/or sprinkle the oatmeal mixture over top of the apples.
  • Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes (see notes).
  • We like our apple crisp served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and warm caramel sauce drizzled over top.

Notes

*We like our apples tender yet still a little firm. For more tender apples you may want to bake for longer in the oven, cover the top of the crisp with foil to avoid burning.
Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.
**Nutritional value is based on the apple crisp and does NOT include any optional toppings.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 58g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 99mg, Potassium: 243mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 387IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 1mg