Name: Brown Butter Apple Crisp
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1.2 kg apples (about 6-7 medium apples); 55 g brown sugar (reduce if using very sweet apples); 2 tsp cornflour (AKA cornstarch); ½ tsp cinnamon; ¼ tsp nutmeg; 1 tbsp butter (cut into small pieces); 150 g unsalted butter; 90 g rolled oats; 65 g plain flour (spooned and levelled if using cups); 110 g brown sugar; ½ tsp cinnamon; ¼ tsp salt; 60 g chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

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A simple upgrade turns this old-fashioned apple crisp into the ultimate fall dessert. The crispy oat topping, enriched with nutty brown butter, delivers an irresistible toffee-like crunch over a jammy, cinnamon-spiced apple filling. Cozy, crowd pleasing, and far easier than pie!

I’ve called Australia home now for over half a decade, but this time of year still makes me reach for warm, spiced desserts. Thankfully, springtime in Melbourne is chilly enough that I can satisfy my cravings without blasting the AC — and lately, this brown butter apple crisp has been my weakness!

Apple crisp is the American cousin to the British apple crumble. Thanks to the addition of oats in the topping, it’s delightfully crisp, just as the name promises. Unlike apple pie, apple crisp is quick to throw together and pretty foolproof. It’s also super versatile — scale it up to feed a hungry Thanksgiving crowd, or scale it down for any easy, small-batch dessert. Sure, there are plenty of apple crisp recipes out there, but what sets this one above the rest is the use of brown butter.

The Case for Brown Butter

Okay, so your grandma’s apple crisp recipe probably doesn’t begin with browning the butter, but there’s a reason the French have been using this cooking technique for centuries. Known in French as beurre noisette (literally “hazelnut butter”), brown butter is ridiculously easy to make and adds a rich and nutty flavour to the crumbly topping that takes this apple crisp up a notch.

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Here’s why brown butter works in this recipe:

Depth of flavour – the nuttiness of brown butter pairs naturally well with the warm, autumnal flavours of your traditional apple crisp: apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. And if you’re throwing in some chopped nuts (as I like to do), it’s a match made in heaven.

Easy prep – yes, really! Most apple crisp recipes will have you cutting cold butter into the oat topping which can be quite fiddly. With brown butter, all you need to do is simmer it until brown and nutty, let it cool while you make the filling, then dump it straight into the topping and stir. Easy as that — no planning ahead and no pastry cutter required.

Superior texture – I’ve tried making apple crisp both ways, and the version with the melted brown butter comes out with the perfect mix of crispy and chewy — much less sandy in texture.

Choosing the Best Apples

Generally speaking, you want a firm, crisp apple that can handle the heat and won’t turn to mush in the oven. If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, stick with more tart varieties like Granny Smith or Pink Lady. For something a bit sweeter, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Fuji, Jazz, and Gala all work well. Or use a mix of tart and sweet varieties to get the best of both worlds. Just steer clear of Red Delicious apples which are notoriously grainy and mushy when baked!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the apple filling

Apples: not sure which apples to use? See above.
Brown sugar: brown sugar adds a caramel flavour which complements the brown butter and warm spices. Since apples are naturally quite sweet, you don’t need much!
Cornflour: a little bit of cornflour is used to thicken the filling and give it a jammy consistency. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use plain flour instead.
Spices (cinnamon + nutmeg): a classic flavour pairing with apples — and my personal favourite! Feel free to experiment with other warm spices such as all-spice, cardamom, and ginger.
Butter: dotting the apple filling with small pieces of butter adds richness and helps to meld everything together for a more cohesive texture. You don’t need much, so salted or unsalted is fine here.

For the brown butter topping

Unsalted butter: since we’re going to brown this, there’s no need to let it soften. Stick to unsalted if you can, so you can control the salt level.
Rolled oats — also known as old-fashioned oats — are best because they hold their shape and crisp up well in the oven. Quick oats can work in a pinch, but they’ll absorb more liquid and will make the topping softer.
Plain flour binds the topping together. I don’t recommend self-raising flour, as this will make the topping soft and cakey.
Brown sugar: the molasses in brown sugar gives the crisp a slight chewiness, a deep flavour, and a nice golden brown colour.
Cinnamon — for flavour!
Salt — also for flavour! Leave out if using salted butter.
Walnuts or pecans (optional): I like to add chopped nuts to the topping for a little extra nuttiness and crunch. Walnuts and pecans are classic and not too overpowering. If you want to try something a little different, almonds or hazelnuts could also work well. If nuts aren’t your thing, skip them entirely.

How to Make Brown Butter Apple Crisp

1. Prep – Begin by preheating your oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan/350℉). You’ll need a 2-2.5 litre baking dish — no need to grease or line it for this recipe.

Brown the butter

If you’ve made my white chocolate raspberry jam blondies, you’ll already be a pro at making brown butter. The process here is exactly the same!

1. Melt the butter – Cut the butter into uniform pieces and place in a small light-coloured saucepan so that you can easily monitor the colour as it darkens. Gently melt the butter over low to medium heat.

2. Simmer until golden brown – Let the butter simmer, stirring it occasionally to prevent burning. It will foam at first, then the foaming will die down and the butter will start turning a golden-amber colour, with dark specks forming at the bottom of the saucepan (these are toasted milk solids). At this point, you should start to smell a lovely, nutty aroma.

3. Remove from heat – Once golden brown and fragrant, quickly remove the saucepan from the heat, and pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl. Do not leave it in the saucepan, or the residual heat will continue cooking it! Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes before making the crisp topping.

Prepare the apple filling

1. Make the spice mixture – In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornflour, and spices.

2. Cut and toss the apples – Peel the apples and slice them about 0.5 cm (1/8 to 1/4 in) thick. As you slice, add them to the bowl with the spice mixture and give them a toss to coat on all sides.

No lemon juice? Coating the apples as you go forms a thin barrier that slows oxidisation, so using lemon juice isn’t necessary. If you don’t plan to bake your apple crisp straight away, you can either add 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the filling or submerge your apple slices in water until you’re ready to use them.

Prepare the brown butter topping

1. Combine the dry ingredients – In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Then, stir in the rolled oats and, if using, the chopped nuts.

2. Add the brown butter – Pour in the slightly cooled brown butter. Stir until just combined and the mixture starts to form small clumps. Don’t over-mix, or it can become pasty.

Assemble & Bake

1. Form the apple layer – Pour the apple filling and any juices into the baking dish. Spread into an even layer, then dot with small pieces of butter.

2. Sprinkle with topping – Sprinkle the crisp topping over the apples. Use your fingers to break up any larger clumps — smaller clumps will crisp up better and give more of that classic crumbly appearance.

3. Bake – Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges. If the top seems to be browning too quickly, loosely cover the dish with foil to allow the apples to finish cooking through. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving (this gives the syrup a chance to thicken up).

Serving Suggestions

It’s pretty hard to beat warm apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The contrast between the hot, bubbly filling and cold, creamy ice cream is truly heavenly 😇

If you’re in the mood for something different, here are some (almost as good) ways to enjoy your apple crisp:

Serve it with lashings of hot custard for an ultra comforting and indulgent dessert (perfect for colder weather).
Keep things simple with a dollop of whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Try it with plain greek yogurt for a lighter option — or an excuse to eat it for breakfast.

Brown Butter Apple Crisp

Tender, cinnamon-spiced apples topped with a toffee-like brown butter oat crumble. Easy to throw together and irresistible with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

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* Please note: all cup measurements are approximate and based on Australian standard cups (250ml). For best results, weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale.

Equipment

small saucepan, light colour is best
any 2-2.5 litre baking dish or skillet, I use a 24 x 24 cm (9 x 9 in) square dish