Crazy Easy Spiced Caramel Apple Crisp

‘Tis the season for apples, yes?  This delicious Spiced Caramel Apple Crisp dessert has sweet apples, warm, comforting spices, and a homemade crunchy topping that will bring you back to grandma’s kitchen.  Make sure to have ice cream on hand!

I love this recipe because if you know me, you know that my comfort food go-to is anything with oats. Oatmeal, steel-cut oats, oat milk, etc etc.

CRAZY EASY SPICED CARAMEL APPLE CRISP

When I mentioned Grandma’s kitchen earlier, I meant it. I don’t know about you but when I was a kid, breakfast at grandma’s was oatmeal, brown sugar sprinkled over it, and a drizzle of fresh cream poured on top. She’d serve it with freshly baked and toasted bread with homemade butter.

Oh what I would do to have that exact breakfast she made, just one more time.

Ok, so, back to this dessert. Another great thing about this recipe is that you can have this caramel apple crisp dessert done and out of the oven in no time.  The longest thing will be peeling and coring the apples but once you get that done, you’re on the fast track to caramel apple crisp heaven!

The Ingredients You’ll Need

Apples – The variety you choose is up to you. Personally, I like an apple that is a bit more sour than sweet because the topping has sugar and caramel, so it’s a nice flavor contrast. That being said, use what you have in the fridge or if you’re looking for something more specific, this handy infographic can help you decide.
Spices – I used cinnamon and nutmeg for this apple recipe. If you like cloves, add just a pinch if you’d like, or, if you have apple pie spice, that’s perfect to use as well.
Flour – All-purpose flour is great. Whole wheat flour can be used for extra fiber and a tad bit of nuttiness if you prefer.
Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed or bottled, either will do.
Sugar – I prefer brown sugar because of the deeper, molasses flavor, but white sugar will do if that’s what you have on hand.
Butter – Butter will produce a richer, more flavorful dessert, but if you have margarine on hand, that will work.
Rolled Oats – Old fashioned are perfect.
Caramel Sauce – I purchased Ghiradelli Caramel Sauce, which I have to say, is AMAZING! If you don’t want to purchase it, you can always make your own caramel sauce ahead of time.

** A note about the apples: I say use whatever variety you have on hand but I wanted you to know there are small differences in texture that you might encounter in some types of apples. Some apples break down or get softer than others in the oven, but really, even if the apples are on the softer side, or still have a firmer (but not crunchy) texture, it all passes over the taste buds and will be amazing!!

How to Make this Delicious Apple Crisp

It’s really simple. In fact, once the apples are cut and cored, you could even involve your little ones in this recipe to help! (They especially love mushing the butter into the oats)!

PREP STEP: So of course, you’ll want to core and cube the apples after peeling them.  Place them in a bowl and drizzle a little lemon juice over them if you don’t want them browning, but really, it’s not imperative. 

Also if your apples are a bit on the tart side, you can also add an extra tablespoon of sugar. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the apples and set aside for now.

Now the TOPPING part of the Spiced Caramel Apple Crisp:

STEP 1: In a different bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix them well.

STEP 2: Add the cold, cubed butter and using two knives, or a pastry cutter, or (the best tools) your hands, cut the butter into the oat mixture. You want it to resemble the size of peas, approximately.

STEP 3: Grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray, (or line with parchment) an 8 x 8 baking dish.  Transfer the apples to the bottom of the baking dish.

STEP 4: Sprinkle the oat mixture over top evenly and pop the dish in the oven.

STEP 5: Bake for 25 – 35 minutes or until it’s nicely golden brown on top. 

Take it out to let it cool a bit before serving!

Incidentally, if you’re not 100% sure about the differences between different baked fruit desserts like crisps, crumbles, cobblers, pandowdy’s, and buckles, take a peek at this short cool article that gets you in the know!

How To Serve This Apple Dessert

When this easy apple crisp cools to the temp you want to serve it (keep in mind, it’s pretty darn awesome cold, as well!),  that’s when the CARAMEL SAUCE comes to the party!

Plate up a portion of the warm dessert and add a dollop of whipped cream or delicious vanilla ice cream. Then, when you drizzle that heavenly caramel topping over the entire thing, it will take it to the next delicious level!!

So you can see how easy this recipe is to make, and when people at the potluck office party get a taste of your epic Spiced Caramel Apple Crisp – they won’t forget it!

Incidentally, seeing that it’s an apple’s time to shine right now, if you’re looking for another apple recipe, try my Apple Pecan Croissant with Butterscotch Sauce or if you’re hankering for apples in the morning, I have this KICK BUTT awesome recipe for Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats done in the slow cooker!

So there you go, apples for breakfast and a super-easy caramel apple crisp dessert to end your day! Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today, and I really hope you have a fantastic day!!