Caramel Apple Crisp
Cinnamon‑spiced apples are tossed with caramel and topped with a buttery sweet crisp topping in this caramel apple crisp. Serve warm with ice cream for the perfect cozy fall dessert!
Do not sleep on making this apple crisp! The caramel flavors the apple filling – but there is plenty of tart flavor from the apples and buttery crunch in the topping to balance out the sweetness. This dessert is to-die for!
Ingredients for Caramel Apple Crisp
For such a luxuriously delicious dessert, the ingredients list is surprisingly brief!
Apple Filling Ingredients:
- Apples: Choose a variety of sweet/tart/crisp apples, like honeycrisp or cosmic crisp apples. If using another variety, you may need to increase or decrease the caramel sauce in the apple filling to compensate for the taste/sweetness of the apples. Peel and core the apples and then chop in 1/2-inch pieces.
- Lemon juice: Fresh or bottled lemon juice can be used.
- Flour: The flour is necessary for a perfectly thick (but not glumpy) apple filling. It’s likely that using 2 tablespoons cornstarch in place of the flour will work, as well (haven’t tested it yet myself).
- Cinnamon: Adds the perfect amount of warmth and deepens the flavor of the apple filling.
- Caramel sauce: The caramel sauce sweetens the apple filling. Homemade or store bought caramel sauce can be used. My favorite store bought brand is Trader Joe’s caramel sauce, but any brand will work as long as you like the flavor of it. Look for a caramel sauce that is thick but pourable instead of thin and runny. If you buy a 10- or 12-ounce jar of caramel, you’ll have extra to drizzle over the crisp when serving, if desired.
The ingredients for the streusel-y, crisp topping are very basic and straightforward: equal parts flour, brown sugar, and old-fashioned oats tossed with a bit of cinnamon and then combined with cold butter pieces.
As the apple crisp bakes, the apples soften and pockets of caramel peek up through the buttery, sweet topping.
Additional Notes for This Recipe:
- Serve the caramel apple crisp warm with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. The combo of cold creamy sweetness with the buttery, sweet, tart, caramelly apple crisp is unbelievably delish.
- If you buy a 10- or 12-ounce jar of caramel sauce for this recipe, you’ll have extra to drizzle over the apple crisp and ice cream if you want (a very excellent choice).
- The apple crisp is assembled in a 9X13-inch pan. It may appear quite full, but just like apple pie, as it bakes, the apple filling cooks down. If you’re worried about spillovers, place the 9X13-inch pan on a foil-lined baking dish prior to baking.
- Tent the top of the baking pan with foil if the crisp topping browns too quickly. The crisp needs to bake fully for the apple filling to soften and thicken properly.
More Reasons to Love This Apple Crisp
I’ve long been a fan of classic apple crisp and apple pie (one of my favorite pies to eat!), but I honestly don’t know that I’ll go back to either very often after this caramel apple crisp.
- This crisp provides all the flavor and delight of your favorite apple crisp or apple pie but with that extra caramel element that adds amazing depth of flavor without overpowering the apples.
- It is much easier to make and assemble than classic apple pie.
- This recipe can easily serve a crowd (or conversely, it can be halved to make a smaller pan!).
Warm, cozy, delicious, I think this might be the perfect dessert for fall. I can’t wait for you to make it! 🍎🍏
Caramel Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Filling:
- 8 cups (1020 g) diced Honeycrisp or other sweet-tart crisp apple variety, about 4 to 5 large apples (see note)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup (36 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (165 g) caramel sauce (see note for storebought or homemade options)
Crisp Topping:
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (212 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup (100 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter (12 tablespoons), cut into tablespoon-size pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice. Add the flour and cinnamon and toss until evenly combined. Add the caramel sauce and stir to combine. Depending on the thickness of the caramel sauce, it may clump up a bit; that's ok. Just stir to evenly distribute the sauce throughout the apples. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon until evenly combined. Add the butter and use a pastry blender or two butter knifes to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is in tiny pieces (smaller than pea-sized).
- Scrape the apple mixture evenly into a 9X13-inch dish. Sprinkle the crisp topping evenly over the top.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes until the topping is golden, the caramel is bubbling, and the apples are tender. Tent the crisp with foil if the topping is browning too quickly during baking.
- Let the crisp rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and extra caramel sauce, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (inspired by a friend from church, Kristen J., who made something similar for my kids at a youth activity, and they came home raving!)
