Warm Apple Crisp Oat Topping (Printable)

Tender baked apples topped with a golden oat crumble, served warm for comfort.

# What You Need:

→ Fruit Filling

01 - 6 medium apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
03 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
04 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
07 - Pinch of salt

→ Oat Topping

08 - 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
09 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
10 - 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
11 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
14 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
02 - In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly coated. Spread mixture in baking dish.
03 - Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl. Add cold butter and blend with pastry cutter or fingers until coarse crumbs form. Stir in nuts if desired.
04 - Evenly sprinkle the oat topping over the apple mixture in the baking dish.
05 - Bake for 40 minutes until the topping is golden and apples are bubbling.
06 - Allow to cool slightly before serving warm, optionally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • This crisp feels like sharing a comforting secret between friends: tender, juicy apples wrapped in a crunchy, buttery oat topping that melts in your mouth
  • It became a favorite because it’s easy to make and everyone asks for seconds, the perfect blend of sweet and spicy that hits the spot every time
02 -
  • Using cold butter directly from the fridge keeps the topping crumbly and flaky instead of greasy
  • Adding a pinch of salt to both filling and topping enhances all the sweet and spice notes in the crisp
03 -
  • If your topping feels too wet, toss it briefly in the fridge before baking to firm up the butter
  • The secret that makes the difference is not overmixing the oat topping — keep the chunks so it’s extra crunchy once baked

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