Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe (2024)

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes0 ReviewsJump to Recipe

A classic apple crisp recipe gets a make over with lots of caramel sauce. This Caramel Apple Crisp is the perfect fall treat! Serve with ice cream for an extra decadent treat.

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Love that caramel apple combination? Also check out this Caramel Apple Dip or this Apple Bundt Cake with Caramel Frosting.

Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe (1)

Caramel Apple Crisp

I feel like I do the same thing every year. I try to stretch out summer as long as possible. And don’t get me wrong – I LOVE fall. Fall and spring are by far my favorite seasons. But I love long, summer evenings. I love being able to sit out on the porch any time of day. I love playing with my kids and savoring the sunshine. And I know that a lot of these I can also get in the fall. But the one reason I try to put off fall as long as possible is because I know that winter is right around the corner. And I’m not a winter person.

I love a good, traditional apple crisp recipe. In fact, my mom made one just a few nights ago that we all gobbled up in record time. But I wanted to dress mine up a little bit – add a little bit of glitz and glam. And I can’t think of a better companion to apples than caramel. In fact, I would have been happy with just the apples and the caramel, but throw in a crisp topping – I’m totally game! This was a great way makeover a traditional apple crisp. If you are a caramel and an apple lover – this is the crisp for you!

Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe (2)

How to Make Apple Crisp

This Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe is really quite easy. It will take some time to peel and cut the apples, and also some time to unwrap the caramels, but besides that, everything else is quite quick!

Place your peeled and cut apples in a baking dish that has been greased or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. To make the caramel sauce, simply melt some of the caramels with some milk. For the caramels, I use the small caramels that you can buy in a bag in the candy section at the grocery store. It is equal to about 10 ounces of caramel. Pour that melted caramel right over your sliced apples.

Make the crisp topping from flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Cut the butter into the mixture. Sprinkle that topping over the caramel and apples, then put the whole thing in the oven to bake.

Once the apple crisp is golden brown, you will melt some more caramels and milk and then drizzle that over the top of the crisp.

Serve this easy apple crisp with ice cream for the ultimate fall dessert!

Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe (3)

Tips to Make the Caramel Apple Crisp Topping

Quick cooking oats are best, although regular old fashioned oats will work. The quick cooking oats give you a better texture and break down a bit more than the old fashioned oats would. If you use old fashioned oats, your crisp may be more chewy.
What does it mean to cut the butter into the mixture? This simply means that you will be breaking up the butter into the flour mixture. The dry ingredients will combine with the butter – stop when the pieces look like coarse crumbs. I have a pastry cutter that I love to use, but you can also easily do this with a fork. Simply press the bits of butter into the flour/sugar mixture. Doing this against the sides of the bowl is easiest.
You can also use dark brown sugar for a more intense taste.

See how to make this Caramel Apple Crisp here:

The Best Apples for Apple Crisp

When it comes to baking with apples, I go by the same rule that I do when I’m making an apple pie. Granny Smith apples will hold up the best when baking, but I also like to add in a golden delicious or two for the extra sweetness that they bring. You could really use any kind of apple you want, but Granny Smith apples will keep some of their crispness and the tart flavor is great for baking.

Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe (4)

More Apple Dessert Recipes

Apple Cinnamon Sheet Cake
Apple Bars
Apple Cider Doughnuts
Sour Cream Apple Pie
Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Tools Used to Make this Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe

A good apple peeler is important to get this recipe started!
A good pastry cutter can really help with the crisp topping. I actually use my pastry cutter all the time!

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Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe (5)

Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe

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  • Author: Deborah
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

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Description

A classic apple crisp recipe gets a make over with lots of caramel sauce. This Caramel Apple Crisp is the perfect fall treat! Serve with ice cream for an extra decadent treat.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 cups peeled and sliced tart apples
  • 33 caramels, divided
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  2. Place the apples in the baking dish.
  3. In a saucepan, combine 25 of the caramels with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Melt over medium-low heat until smooth, then pour evenly over the apples.
  4. In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven until the topping is browned, 35-45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
  6. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the remaining 8 caramels with the remaining 2 teaspoons of milk. Cook in the microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring often, until the caramel is melted and smooth. Drizzle the caramel over the crisp.
  7. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Recipe Notes:

Adapted from Taste of Home Church Supper Desserts

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
  • Calories: 430
  • Sugar: 50 g
  • Sodium: 40 mg
  • Fat: 14 g
  • Saturated Fat: 11 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 75 g
  • Fiber: 6 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Cholesterol: 31 mg

Keywords: caramel apple crisp

Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between apple crisp and apple crumble? ›

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 kind of apples are best for apple crisp? ›

What Makes A Good Apple For Apple Crisp? The best apples for baking keep their structure under heat, which prevents the chunks of fruit from turning into mush after baking. The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

Why is my apple crisp soggy? ›

Too much butter and your topping will become a greasy blob or disappointingly soggy. Some recipes will ask you to cut in cold butter along with your dry ingredients, resulting in pea-size pieces that are sprinkled across the hot fruit filling.

How do you make apple crisp not watery? ›

Lemon juice and vanilla extract – both of these are for complexity of flavor in your apple filling. You could leave them out if you don't have them, but they make a noticeable difference in the final product. Cornstarch or arrowroot starch – this is how we get a thick and not watery apple crisp!

Why is it called Brown Betty? ›

This has led some historians to believe that Betty was the name of the cook and creator of the recipe and that brown was in reference to her skin color.

What's the difference between brown betty and apple crisp? ›

Both are very similar apple desserts, but the difference mainly comes down to the crumble topping: Instead of the flour and oat mixture used in an apple crisp, an apple brown betty uses breadcrumbs for its crumbly, delicious topping.

What is the sweetest and most crisp apple? ›

Fuji. Due to their low acidity, these ultra-sweet, crispy and juicy apples are a go-to choice for snacking and baking, as well as homemade baby food or apple butters.

How many apples are 4 cups? ›

If a recipe calls for one cup of peeled and chopped apples, for example, the size of your dice and fineness of your cuts will affect how you convert from pounds. Generally speaking, one pound of roughly chopped apples yields four cups.

How many apples make 10 cups? ›

According to this equivalent list, 10 cups of sliced apples requires 10 medium apples. To be on the safe side, buy one additional apple. You don't want to run short—after all, it's always better to have too many ingredients than too few!

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

We prefer to prep the apples when we make the crisp, but you can prep them ahead of time. Peel and slice the apples and toss them with lemon juice, then pack tightly in freezer bags and refrigerate for up to one day.

What is the secret to good crumble? ›

Tips for making the perfect crumble

Mark Bowerman says: "Rub the butter in fairly quickly, and not too perfectly – a fine, dusty texture at this stage spoils the fun. Use a shallowish dish if you've got a wet fruit mixture, otherwise the crumble will start to dissolve before it's baked. Custard. Yum."

Why is my apple crisp not crunchy? ›

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.

What is the difference between crumble and crisp? ›

So what's a crumble vs. a crisp? A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.

What is the difference between apple crisp cobbler and crumble? ›

Whereas crisps and crumbles are topped with a streusel-like mixture, cobblers are topped with a cake-like batter or a biscuit-like dough.

What is apple crumble called in America? ›

Apple crisp is a dessert made with a streusel topping. In the US, it is also called apple crumble, a word which refers to a different dessert in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Ingredients usually include cooked apples, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and often oats and brown sugar, ginger, and/or nutmeg.

What is the American version of crumble? ›

A crisp is “a type of dessert consisting of fruit baked with a crumble topping,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary's definition, citing an early use in a 1916 recipe for an apple crisp with a topping of butter, sugar, and flour that's mixed together by rubbing your fingertips “*ntil crumbly.” Often, at least ...

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