Cinnamon-Ginger Apple Crisp
Thinly sliced apples baked under a buttery oat topping, with cinnamon and a little ginger. An easy fall dessert for six, with no pastry to roll.
Apple crisp is a useful fall dessert when you want warm fruit and a crunchy topping without making a pie crust. Here, a mix of tart and sweet apples goes into a square baking dish beneath an oat crumble. Cinnamon flavors the filling, while a small amount of ground ginger adds a gentle warmth.
The apples are sliced rather than cubed, so each spoonful has soft layers of fruit beneath the rough topping. Keep the slices a similar thickness: a few large chunks mixed with thin slices can leave you with unevenly cooked filling. Weigh the apples after peeling and coring, because whole fruit sizes vary.
This version uses cold butter rubbed into the topping. Stop when the flour looks damp and the mixture has small, uneven clumps; it should not become a ball of dough. Scatter the crumbs loosely so heat can reach the fruit and the surface can brown.
Plan to leave the crisp alone for fifteen minutes after baking. The fruit is very hot straight from the oven, and a short rest gives its juices a chance to settle. Serve it warm in shallow bowls, either as it is or with your usual dessert accompaniment.
Why you’ll love this recipe
A mix of tart Granny Smith and sweeter Honeycrisp apples balances the filling. Even slices cook at a similar rate, and a little flour helps bind the juice released by the fruit. Rolled oats add texture to the topping; cold butter creates small crumbs that bake into distinct clusters. Checking the center for tenderness is more useful than judging the topping color alone.
Before you start · Equipment
8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, baking sheet, kitchen scale, peeler, knife, chopping board, two bowls, fork or pastry blender, measuring cups and spoons, cooling rack. Use US cups; a tablespoon is approximately 15 ml and a teaspoon approximately 5 ml.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 6 servings. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
How to keep the topping crisp
Scatter the topping loosely, with uneven little clusters. Packing it firmly can leave a denser layer where it touches the fruit. Bake uncovered until the apples are tender; use foil only if the crumbs need protection from further browning.
The crisp is at its crunchiest on the day it is baked. Refrigeration softens the topping because it sits over moist fruit. An uncovered oven reheat helps dry the surface again, though it will not be identical to a freshly baked batch.
Common questions
- Can I use just one kind of apple? Yes, a firm baking apple can be used throughout. All Granny Smith will taste tarter; all Honeycrisp will taste sweeter. Keep the prepared weight the same.
- Can I prepare it ahead? Make the oat topping and refrigerate it in a covered container for up to a day. Slice and season the apples close to assembly so they do not sit releasing juice for hours.
- Why is the filling still firm? Slice thickness and apple variety affect cooking time. Check at the center, cover the browned topping loosely with foil, and continue baking in short intervals until tender.
- Does it need ice cream? No. The recipe and images show the crisp served plain. Add an accompaniment separately if you like.
About the ingredients
- Apples
Use equal prepared weights of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp for a tart-sweet balance. Buy roughly six medium apples, but rely on the peeled and cored weight. Avoid mealy fruit; the final texture depends on the variety and ripeness.
- Rolled oats
Old-fashioned rolled oats give a distinct flake texture. Steel-cut oats will not soften in the same way and are not a direct substitute here.
- Brown sugar and butter
Pack the brown sugar into the cup. Keep the butter cold until you mix the topping, and stop rubbing once the flour is moistened and small clumps hold together.
- Ginger and cinnamon
Ground ginger gives background warmth rather than a strong ginger flavor. Cinnamon appears in both the filling and topping; the ingredient groups list each amount separately.
How to make Cinnamon-Ginger Apple Crisp
Slice and season the apples, rub cold butter into the oat topping, then assemble and bake. Check the fruit in the center before removing the dish, and allow a short rest before serving.
1. Prepare the apples
2. Mix the filling
3. Make the oat topping
4. Cover the apples
5. Bake, rest and serve
chefzelish.com
Cinnamon-Ginger Apple Crisp
Thinly sliced apples baked under a buttery oat topping, with cinnamon and a little ginger. An easy fall dessert for six, with no pastry to roll.
Ingredients
0 / 12 readyIngredient amounts for 6 servings
Apple filling
Oat topping
Let’s make it.
Prepare the apples
Prepare the apples. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C), conventional setting, with a rack in the middle. Set an 8-inch square baking dish on a baking sheet. Peel and core the apples, weigh out 2 lb (907 g), then cut into even slices about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick.
Mix the filling
Mix the filling. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the filling's brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and ginger until evenly coated. Transfer everything, including any juice in the bowl, to the baking dish and spread into an even layer.
Make the oat topping
Make the oat topping. Combine the oats, topping flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them in with your fingertips, or use a fork or pastry blender, until the mixture forms damp, uneven crumbs. Leave some pea-sized clumps.
Cover the apples
Cover the apples. Scatter the oat mixture evenly across the filling, keeping it loose rather than pressing it flat. Leave a few small gaps for the apple juices to bubble through. Place the baking dish, still on its baking sheet, on the middle oven rack.
Bake, rest and serve
Bake, rest and serve. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the topping is golden, juice bubbles around the edges and a thin knife slips easily into the apples at the center. If the top browns first, cover loosely with foil and continue baking until the fruit is tender. Rest on a rack for 15 minutes, then spoon into six bowls.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
Timing: allow 20 minutes of preparation, about 45 minutes of baking (start checking at 40 minutes), and 15 minutes of resting. The total is approximately 80 minutes; the apples' tenderness determines the final bake time.
Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling, or use the gram quantities. Packed brown sugar and rolled oats have different weights per cup; each metric value uses its ingredient-specific source. Spoon-sized spices stay in teaspoons.
Images are illustrations of the ingredients, process and intended result.
Make it your own
This version contains wheat and milk. Gluten-free flour or dairy-free butter alternatives may change the texture and baking time.
Storage & freezing
Cool leftovers, cover and refrigerate within two hours. Use within 3–4 days. Reheat a portion until hot throughout; an uncovered oven reheat preserves the topping better than a microwave. The topping softens during storage.
At the table
Makes six dessert servings. Spoon from the dish rather than trying to cut neat squares; the filling is soft fruit, not a set cake.
A little something delicious.
Keep this recipe close for the next time the craving strikes.
Something else you’ll love.
Chewy Monster Cookies
Get the recipe
Sesame-Ginger Mushroom Rice
Get the recipe
0 Comments
No ratings yet
No comments yet. Have a question or tried this recipe? Leave a comment above.