Chef Zelish
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.
By Chef Zelish
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 80 min
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.
Ingredients
Apple filling
2 lb apples
peeled and cored weight; half Granny Smith and half Honeycrisp, about 6 medium apples before trimming
¼ cup light brown sugar
packed
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
freshly squeezed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
Oat topping
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
not steel-cut oats
½ cup all-purpose flour
spooned into the cup and leveled
⅓ cup light brown sugar
packed
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fine salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter
cold, cut into small cubes
Directions
- 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.
Kitchen notes
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.
Helpful tips
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.
Storage
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.
Serving
Makes six dessert servings. Spoon from the dish rather than trying to cut neat squares; the filling is soft fruit, not a set cake.
Substitutions
This version contains wheat and milk. Gluten-free flour or dairy-free butter alternatives may change the texture and baking time.
Helpful tips
Images are illustrations of the ingredients, process and intended result.
Source: https://chefzelish.com/cinnamon-ginger-apple-crisp/
Published Sep 25, 2026