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:

Print Pin

* 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

Ingredients

For the apple filling

1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) apples, about 6-7 medium apples
55 g (¼ cup, packed) 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

For the brown butter topping

150 g (½ cup) unsalted butter
90 g (1 cup) rolled oats
65 g (½ cup) plain flour, spooned and levelled if using cups
110 g (½ cup, packed) brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
60 g (½ cup) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan/350℉).

Brown the butter

Place 150g of butter in a light-coloured saucepan set over low to medium heat, and allow it to melt completely.
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally. It will become foamy on top as the water evaporates. Once the foam subsides, watch for brown specks sinking to the bottom of the pan (these are the milk solids).
Once the milk solids are golden brown and the butter smells nutty, remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool.

Prepare the filling

In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, cornflour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until combined.
Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples, placing them in the bowl with the sugar and spice mixture and tossing to coat as you go. Quickly coating the apples helps to slow browning.

Prepare the brown butter topping

Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix in the rolled oats and, if using, the chopped nuts.
Add the slightly cooled brown butter and mix until combined. The mixture should form small clumps.

Assemble & Bake

Pour the apples into your baking dish, along with any juices that have collected at the bottom of the bowl. Dot with the cubed butter.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown and the filling is bubbling up around the edges. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Sweetness: Use a mix of tart and sweet apple varieties for the best flavour. If using very sweet apples, I suggest reducing the brown sugar amount (for the filling) by half.
Individual crisps: For a smaller batch, you can make single servings in ramekins. Scale down to 1/3 for 2 servings or 2/3 for 4 servings. Bake time will be reduced to about 25-30 minutes.
Double batch: Baking for a crowd? you can easily double this recipe and make it in a 4-4.5 litre dish. Increase bake time to around 50-60 minutes.
Storage & reheating: Allow the apple crisp to cool completely, then cover tightly in cling film and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
The fastest way to reheat apple crisp is in the microwave, though it will soften the top a bit. You can also reheat it in the oven at 180°C (350°F) — tent with foil for the first 15-20 minutes to warm through, then remove foil for 10 minutes or so until the top is crunchy again.
Nutrition info is based on 1 serving, assuming this makes 6. Excludes optional nuts and toppings such as ice cream.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @PumpkinandPavlova or tag #pumpkinandpavlova!