We Made The Pioneer Woman's Apple Crisp Recipe—and It's Totally Worth the Hype (Make This Immediately!) (2024)

Put together this simple and delicious Pioneer Woman apple crisp for the ultimate comfort dessert!

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When it comes to dessert, I will happily pour hours of time and plenty of effort into elaborate treats (like this choux au craquelin). But sometimes, the simplest desserts end up being the best. And this Pioneer Woman apple crisp recipe proves that!

Piled high with a layer of juicy, delicious apples and a crunchy topping, this apple crisp won’t last long. There’s plenty of flavor jam-packed in every bite, and the texture is divine. Serve it up warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.

It’s so good, I guarantee you’ll finish the entire dish!

How to Make Pioneer Woman Apple Crisp

This recipe uses a few simple ingredients to dress up tart Granny Smith apples with sugar and spice. It only requires a few minutes of active prep time, and the rest of the work is left up to the oven.

Ingredients

We Made The Pioneer Woman's Apple Crisp Recipe—and It's Totally Worth the Hype (Make This Immediately!) (1)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

For the apples:

  • 8 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup water

For the topping:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 stick salted butter, melted

Tools You’ll Need

Step 1: Prepare the apples

We Made The Pioneer Woman's Apple Crisp Recipe—and It's Totally Worth the Hype (Make This Immediately!) (5)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Preheat the oven to 35o°F. Grease a 9-in. by 13-in. baking dish with salted butter or cooking spray.

Place the sliced apples in the baking dish in an even layer. In a small mixing bowl, add the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix to combine, and then sprinkle the mixture over the apples. Pour ½ cup of water over top.

Step 2: Make the topping

We Made The Pioneer Woman's Apple Crisp Recipe—and It's Totally Worth the Hype (Make This Immediately!) (6)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine. Add in the melted butter and stir with a large fork. Mix until clumps begin to form.

Step 3: Sprinkle the topping

We Made The Pioneer Woman's Apple Crisp Recipe—and It's Totally Worth the Hype (Make This Immediately!) (7)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Sprinkle the topping over the apple layer. Be sure to evenly cover all of the apples.

Step 4: Time to bake!

We Made The Pioneer Woman's Apple Crisp Recipe—and It's Totally Worth the Hype (Make This Immediately!) (8)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Bake the apple crisp at 350° for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp. Once baked, remove the apple crisp from the oven and serve warm. Top each serving with vanilla ice cream.

Looking for more apple crisp recipes? Learn how to make Ina Garten’s apple crisp.

Here’s What I Thought

We Made The Pioneer Woman's Apple Crisp Recipe—and It's Totally Worth the Hype (Make This Immediately!) (9)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

No matter the season, you can’t go wrong with a fruit crisp. But there’s something that much better about an apple crisp in fall. This Pioneer Woman apple crisp is the ideal comfort dessert, especially served up warm with a scoop of ice cream. And while I have certainly made plenty of fruit crisps before, this recipe took things to a whole new level!

At first glance, it seemed like eight apples was a lot. However, it ended up being the perfect amount to dish up a hearty dessert. I did increase the amount of cinnamon to a full teaspoon, because I love the flavor it adds. Otherwise, this recipe was easy and entirely perfect without any other changes.

Plenty of apple crisp recipes are all about the topping. Who doesn’t love a good, crisp streusel, right? But all too often the apples aren’t as flavorful, and the dessert relies on the textured topping to make it interesting and delicious. But not this one! Every single bite of this apple crisp was incredible, with so much flavor coming from the Granny Smith apples as the perfect base. The crisp topping served as the ultimate complement to the dessert, with a play on texture in every bite. Flavorful soft apples give way to a bit of crunch, with the contrast of warm and cold making it all the more interesting once you add the ice cream. Truly, it’s an experience. And there will even be enough to share that experience with friends and family! If you’re looking for a healthier option, try this gluten-free apple crisp.

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We Made The Pioneer Woman's Apple Crisp Recipe—and It's Totally Worth the Hype (Make This Immediately!) (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put lemon juice over the apples when making an apple crisp? ›

Add a little extra fresh lemon juice to help prevent the apples from turning super brown. Prepare the entire apple crisp, cover well, and refrigerate the night before baking. Don't wait any longer than overnight before baking, to prevent the apples from browning too much or drying out/spoiling.

What's the difference between apple crumble and apple crisp? ›

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

What is the best apples to use for apple crisp? ›

Under the simple butter-sugar-flour-and-oat topping is the apple filling scented with cinnamon. Our test kitchen says baking apples, like Rome or Cortland, are the best varieties to use for apple crisp, but Empire, Gala, or Braeburn apples are also good in this recipe.

How do you keep apples from getting mushy in apple crisp? ›

How do you keep Apple crisp from getting soggy? You need enough butter in your topping, try both melted or cold cut into the dry ingredients. Also, there needs to be enough texture to keep it from just flattening into the fruit below.

What can I substitute for lemon juice in apple crisp? ›

What can people use as lemon juice substitutes?
  1. Lime juice.
  2. Apple cider vinegar.
  3. Orange juice.
  4. Grapefruit juice.
  5. Celery juice.
  6. White wine vinegar.
  7. Other tips.
Jul 29, 2021

Can I substitute vinegar for lemon juice in apple crisp? ›

Due to its tartness and acidity, vinegar is an excellent substitute. However, only substitute vinegar for lemon juice in cooking or baking when the amount called for is relatively small so it won't impact the flavor of your finished dish.

Why is my apple crisp topping not crispy after? ›

The main reason your crumble topping isn't crunchy is probably because you haven't used Demerara sugar. Although, it could also be that you've got your topping ingredient quantities wrong: either too much or not enough flour and butter alongside the sugar.

Should I refrigerate apple crisp? ›

Does apple crisp need to be refrigerated after baking? While some sources suggest that fruits pies and crisps can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, I highly recommend refrigerating it to be on the safe side. Can you reheat apple crisp? Yes!

Can you use any apple for apple crisp? ›

When it comes to finding the best apple for your crisp, go with a crisp, tart variety that stands up well to baking, like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Or, go for it – try mixing the two together if you've got both on hand.

How do you make Martha Stewart apple crumble? ›

In a large bowl, toss together apples, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; transfer to prepared dish. In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt until large pieces form. Scatter over filling.

Can you use Honeycrisp apples for baking? ›

Honeycrisp. One of the sweetest apples around, this Midwestern favorite is good for anything—including baking. It boasts a distinctive juicy crispness and is firm enough that it won't cook down much. It complements just about any other apple variety to make a stellar pie.

Which apples are not crispy? ›

Some apples are naturally crisp and firm when bitten into, while others have a softer or mealy texture. For example, varieties like Honeycrisp and Fuji are known for their crispness, while Red Delicious may have a softer texture.

Should I cover my apple crisp while baking? ›

Baking: Start baking the apple crisp covered with foil. This allows the apples to soften without any risk of the topping over-browning. After about 20 minutes, remove the foil and let the crisp finish cooking uncovered. Once the juices are bubbling, the topping is golden brown, and the apples are tender, it is done!

Why is it important to use cold butter when preparing apple crisp? ›

Use cold, cubed butter.

Making the crumble with room temperature or melted butter will cause the topping to spread as it bakes, rather than creating a landscape of craggy, crunchy sweet pieces. Using cold butter will help all the crumble ingredients bind together before baking and then saturate them evenly in the oven.

Can I cut apples the night before for apple crisp? ›

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're going to cook apples, it's fine to prep them a day or two in advance.

What does lemon juice do in baking? ›

Lemon juice is a natural dough enhancer, creating more elasticity to the dough which in return makes it easier for the bread to stretch and rise. If baking with ROGERS No Additive ALL Purpose flours, using lemon juice is helpful.

Why does lemon juice stop apples from browning enzymes? ›

The browning can be slowed down by preventing the enzyme from working properly. Lemon juice contains an acid which can stop enzymes working properly as enzymes often work best at a certain pH. Water and sugar, in jam for example, stops oxygen in the air getting to the enzymes and prevents the browning.

Does lemon juice affect the taste of apples? ›

The lemon water also subtly altered the apple flavor with a distinct citrusy quality. I later did a series of tests with much lower concentrations of citric acid (one teaspoon per quart of water), which I found more palatable, but they didn't work nearly as well at preventing browning.

Why is my apple crisp topping not crispy? ›

Butter, which encourages both browning and crispness, is the magic ingredient in getting your topping just right, so follow the recipe instructions. But if you feel your topping is still too dry and crumbly, (even for a crumble) add a bit more melted butter, a tablespoon at a time.

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