Easy Skillet Apple Crisp

It is the best time of the year for making apple crisp, undoubtably because you get to eat apple cider donuts and sip hot apple cider while shopping for the main ingredient! Eating the apple crisp is a pretty fun treat too if I do say so myself! This simple recipe will have a delicious apple crisp on your table in no time, after you get home from the orchard!

One of my favorite things about making apple crisp is that it is not an exact science, so you can improvise as needed…Those who know me well, know that I am not a big recipe follower and tend to gravitate toward recipes that allow me to be “creative”, aka not follow the recipe exactly. You will notice this recipe calls for orange juice. That would be as a result of me using orange juice instead of the lemon juice another recipe called for, because it was the closest thing to lemon juice that I had in the fridge, and it turned out delicious! This recipe allows room for creativity, which I personally like.

One way your crisp can differ from mine is in your apple selection. If your family is like mine, going to a local apple orchard at least once in the fall is a must, so making a crisp with the apples you pick there is a great option. They are as fresh as they come and you will be supporting a local orchard in the process. They may have Macs, Cortlands, Granny Smith, or a number of apple varieties available for your picking pleasure. I find that different people prefer certain apples in their crisp, so whatever your favorite(s) are, they will work great in this recipe. I tend to opt for a variety so that I get a variance in texture when the apples are cooked. I love adding at least two Granny Smiths. I like the tart apple with all the sweet ingredients, but that is just my personal preference. In this case, I used some of the Granny Smith apples that grow wild in my parents’ back yard. I love getting to use ingredients from our families’ properties when I can. They are not the prettiest apples, but they taste amazing, and are 100% organic. I had plenty for my crisp, so I didn’t use my normal variety, but I didn’t have to leave my house to get a single ingredient for this recipe, so maybe after a day of apple picking you will have everything you’ll need right at home too!

________________________________________

Ingredients:

5 large apples (6 or 7 if they are small)

2 tbsp orange Juice

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Pinch salt

Topping:

1 1/2 cups flour

2 sticks cold butter, cubed

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 chopped walnuts

1 cup instant oats

Pinch corse salt

Pinch salt

________________________________________

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350*. Then coat the inside of a large skillet or baking dish with butter or non stick spray.

Step 2

Peal and cube the apples and place them in the skillet or baking dish. I do this next step right in the pan that I will be using to save myself from dirtying an extra dish, but you can also use an extra bowl if you like.

Step 3

Combine the 2/3 cup brown sugar, pinch of salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples in the pan. Add the 2 tbsp. of orange juice and toss the apples and these ingredients together lightly until the apples are evenly coated.

Step 4

Now it is time to prepare the topping! I like a little apple with my crisp, so this recipe makes a good amount of crisp. Combine your 2 sticks of cold cubed butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, and pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. (Hint: You want a bowl plenty big to hold your ingredients so this step doesn’t get messy.) Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until well combined. There shouldn’t be any loose powder in the bowl, and it should start to clump up. This can take a little patience and elbow grease, but trust me, it is worth it, and you can feel even better about that second helping of apple crisp later!

Step 5

Once the topping is mixed, evenly pack it on top of the apples that you have previously prepared in the pan. Then evenly pack on the walnuts (optional), and finally sprinkle with a pinch of course salt (also optional). I also sprinkled a little leftover cinnamon & white sugar on top for sparkle (also optional).

Step 6

Bake for an hour at 350* or until the apples are cooked through and the topping is a light golden brown. Serve warm with your favorite vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or both 😉

ENJOY!