Description
This Salted Caramel Apple Crisp recipe brings warm apples, sweet caramel, and a salty crunch together. Perfect for fall evenings, easy to make, and comforting.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Apple Filling:
- 6 medium (about 3 lbs) Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup good quality salted caramel sauce (plus extra for serving)
- For the Crisp Topping:
- 1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- For Serving (Optional):
- Vanilla bean ice cream
- Extra salted caramel sauce
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Prep the Apples:: First things first, get those apples ready, hon! I usually peel, core, and slice them into about half-inch pieces. Don’t make them too thin, or they’ll turn to mush. Toss them in a big bowl with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Give it a good stir until everything looks coated and shiny. You want to see that lovely spice mingling with the fruit; it smells amazing already, honestly.
- Assemble the Crisp Topping:: In a separate bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and a pinch of sea salt. Now, for the butter: cut your cold butter into small cubes. Use your fingers (or a pastry blender if you’re fancy) to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. This is where I sometimes get impatient and let the butter get too warm; don’t do that! Keep it crumbly, it’s key for that crispy finish.
- Layer It Up:: Grab a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour your apple mixture into the dish, spreading it out evenly. Drizzle about half of your salted caramel sauce over the apples. Seriously, don’t skimp on this part; it’s the ‘salted caramel’ in the Salted Caramel Apple Crisp! Then, sprinkle that gorgeous, crumbly oat topping all over the apples. Try to get an even layer, covering most of the apples. It should look inviting, like a cozy blanket.
- Bake to Golden Perfection:: Pop your dish into a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C). Bake for about 40-50 minutes. You’re looking for the topping to be golden brown and the apple filling to be bubbling around the edges. I always peek through the oven door, watching for those tell-tale bubbles. If the topping starts to get too dark too fast, you can loosely tent it with foil, but honestly, I rarely need to.
- Cool and Drizzle:: Once it’s out of the oven, resist the urge to dig in immediately (I know, it’s hard!). Let the Salted Caramel Apple Crisp cool for at least 15-20 minutes. This lets the filling set up a bit and prevents you from burning your tongue. While it’s cooling, warm up the remaining salted caramel sauce slightly, just enough to make it pourable. A quick zap in the microwave usually does the trick for me.
- Serve It Up:: Now for the best part! Spoon generous portions into bowls. Drizzle that warm, extra salted caramel sauce over each serving. For the full experience, I always add a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream right on top. The way it melts into the warm crisp? Pure magic. You’ll see, the crispy topping, the tender apples, the sweet and salty caramel—it’s just a dream.