Spiced Apple Crisp with Brown Butter Topping. This is a warm hug meant to be on the holiday table. The apples are soft and sweet and paired with a boldly spiced brown butter topping. I’m drooling right now as I type this. I love apple desserts this time of year. They just embody the season: warmly spiced, maple sweetened, topped with buttery oaty goodness. It is extra special in how classic it is. And please, serve it with a salted caramel swirl ice cream. You will love it.
Ingredients:
- Apples (my favorite combo is half Honey Crisp, half Granny Smith). I love sweet & tart combination to balance the sweet and spices.
- Maple syrup: Any sweetener works. If you had to substitute maple, I would suggest honey or dark brown sugar as their flavors really stand up to the other components.
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger: I love ginger with apples. You can omit or use less if you want less spices, but I really love this blend.
- Black pepper: A trick I learned long ago for pumpkin pie spice, a small pinch of black pepper has an unnoticeable but noticeable delicious hint of heat in a recipe like this.
- Kosher salt
- Cornstarch: arrowroot or even ¼ flour mixed into the spices will work well to sub.
- Unsalted butter, browned:
- Brown sugar: any sugar will work, but I really love the molasses flavor in brown sugar
- Rolled oats
- All-purpose flour
- Toasted pecans: you can substitute any nut (walnut would be great or even hazelnuts). You can omit nuts if you must – add 2tbs of oats if so.
FAQ
How do I make apple crisp ahead of time?
You can assemble toppings up to 2 days in advance. For best results, leave topping out until it is room temp or soft enough to crumble over apples and get same crisp consistency. Assemble the apples with spices up to 2 hours in advance. Crumble topping over apple filling right before baking.
What apples are best for this recipe?
My favorite combination for baking right now is half Honeycrisp and half Granny Smith. Both are very sturdy and crisp with a perfect balance of flavors (sweet and crisp with tart and crunch). How they bake together is one of my favorite combinations. If you like tartness, use all Granny Smith. If you want more sweet & delicate: Honeycrisp, Gala or Pink lady also work.
Should you peel apples for apple crisp?
Yes, peel the apples. With this much apple AND larger chunks instead of thin slices, I would absolutely peel the apples for this recipe. The apples cook down and the skin doesn’t always match it, the texture is not my favorite.
How to Brown Butter?
Melt the butter gently on a stovetop. A non-colored skillet is easiest if you have never done it before, but all it takes is a stir or two to see where you are at & I always use my cast iron. Keep the heat on low or medium low. Continue to cook the butter and watch. It will melt, then separate. Next it will foam, spurt or bubble (or all 3) and those separate milk solids will then start to brown. Stir frequently so it does not burn and browns evenly. When the solids seem very golden (it will stay separated and that is good!) and butter smells a little toffee liek, remove it from the heat and pour it into a new dish to stop the cooking. Let it cool a little bit until using in the recipe.
More Apple Recipes to Try:
Puff Pastry Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Brown Butter Apple Upside Down Cake
Apple Pie Puff Pastry Cups
I know people don’t really like when us bloggers have a story with our recipes or are longwinded in blog posts. But I love to add a blurb or something! They are the reason the recipe exists. Today’s blurb is short & sweet: I LOVE apple desserts. I’m so inspired by them every season. They are visually beautiful, delicious as is and cooked in all of their ways. Apples just feel like cold weather and warm food: the best! I have lately been enjoying how ginger and apple go together and I wanted to make a really classic apple crisp that explodes with warm delicious spices.
From the Kitchen – How to Make Spiced Apple Crisp
Cut your apples into 1inch chunks. I love this texturally for this crisp recipe. Make sure your butter is browned and not super hot & your pecans are toasted for best results. You really want toasted nuts in your baked goods, I promise. Toss the apples in spices and maple syrup. Sometimes I even add a small (1/2tbsp-1tbsp) of molasses because I just LOVE the flavors together of apple, ginger & molasses.
It’s not necessary, but a really nice addition if you have it on hand. You can see that otherwise this recipe is very straightforward. Mix all of your crisp ingredients together, crumble it over the apples and bake until the topping is golden brown and apples are bubbling. If you have never tried it, you MUST serve this apple crisp with a salted caramel ice cream or vanilla salted caramel swirl. Please report to the comments if you give this a try.
Connect with Me
If you make this Spiced Apple Crisp with Brown Butter Topping, tag me on Instagram @homecooksnotes so I can see and share your photos! Leave a comment or review here to let me know how it turned out
Spiced Apple Crisp with Brown Butter Topping
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 8 apples peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks that are about ½-inch thick about 10 cups. I prefer half honey crisp half granny-smith
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 2 & ½ tbsp cornstarch
Topping
- 9 tbsp unsalted butter browned*
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans*
Instructions
- Preheat oven & Toast Nuts: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and set aside. Toast your pecans now if they aren't already! 7-8 minutes at 350° usually does it or you can throw them in the oven while it preheats and take it out when it smells nutty & they are golden (but not burnt).
- Next, brown 9 tbsp unsalted butter: In a small sauce pan or skillet, melt the butter & cook it gently, stirring often to keep it moving. Once melted, the butter will foam or bubbles. As you continue to stir it will start to turn golden brown. The foam will settle and the butter solids will be a gorgeous toasty color! It should smell butterscotchy or nutty. Pour into a small bowl & set aside to cool down.
- Make filling: In a large bowl, mix apples, ¼ cup maple syrup & spices (2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp black pepper) together until evenly coated. In a small dish or bowl add the 2 & ½ tbsp cornstarch and mix with a small bit of water until dissolved. Dump over apple filling ingredients & toss to coat. Pour apples & whatever is left over in the bowl into your prepared baking pan.
- Make the topping: Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl (3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup rolled oats, ¾ cup all purpose flour, 1½ tsp cinnamon, ½ cup chopped pecans) until combined. Pour in the browned butter and mix until completely combined and no dry bits remain. It’s a little bit more dry than wet sand. Sprinkle over the top of the apple filling.
- Bake for 45 minutes OR until the topping is golden brown and the apple juice is bubbling around the edges. If the topping is getting too dark, before apples are ready, gently place tinfoil on top to finish baking. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with salted caramel ice cream – my FAVORITE way to eat it. You can also serve cold, room temperature or with any ice cream of choice.
- Tightly cover leftovers & store in the fridge up to 5 days. If you want to reheat, I like to do it in small bursts in the microwave or place into the oven until warmed through.
