Simple Apple Crisp with Brown Sugar Rye Streusel

A beloved fall dessert, this simple apple crisp is lightly spiced and not too sweet. A classic!

In full disclosure, I was planning to share a streusel-topped apple pie recipe with you, but our Thanksgiving celebrations left me a little burned out on pie making. Also? My sister showed up with a classic apple crisp – tangy and sweet – that was so dang delicious, it had me wondering why I bothered with pie at all. I said it!

If you’re looking for a comforting fall dessert that’s also an easy baking project, a simple apple crisp is the best option. And as it turns out, it’s time I shared my recipe here with you all.

Simple Apple Crisp

My simple apple crisp has a few secret ingredients (of course) and is absolutely fool proof. Everyone loves an apple crisp – it is so comforting and makes the whole house smell delicious.

While your grandmother’s recipe is no doubt flawless, I’m sharing mine today with a few tips and tricks for making it the best dessert in your repertoire. I’ve included substitutions, variations, and information on batch cooking and freezing a crisp. It’s all here!

Kids in the Kitchen

Of course I’m always championing kids in the kitchen, and a simple apple crisp is a wonderful recipe to make with little helpers. It’s one of the desserts I’m teaching all my children to make before they leave home.

Kiddos and teens can measure and stir the topping together as well as peel and chop the apples. That knife work doesn’t have to be pretty; it’s all getting baked up under a crunchy streusel anyway.

Ingredients for a Simple Apple Crisp

Butter, sugar, flour: the usual suspects for fall baking are in the ingredient line-up. Here’s what else goes into this dessert:

Fall Apples. I usually go for Honey Gold, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp. Or use a blend, for a variety of tastes and textures. I always buy local, and am properly obsessed with all of the heirloom varieties here in Nova Scotia.

Rolled Oats. Use the old-fashioned rolled oats for the best texture. For more fibre and a nutty flavour, try rolled rye flakes as a substitute.

Spices. I alternate between cinnamon and cardamom for the apple filling. And I find my Pumpkin Spice Blend is delicious in the rye streusel topping. Make sure your ground spices are no older than 6 months. If you remember using them last fall….toss and start again.

Sour Cream. My secret ingredient! It can be found in every Ukrainian kitchen and mine is no exception. I always have it on hand. I love the slight tanginess that sour cream brings to an apple crisp filling.

Sour cream pairs beautifully with the brown sugar, the cinnamon and yes, even the rye flour. And after baking it makes a lovely creamy, caramel-type sauce for the apple crisp.

Rye Flour. As soon as fall rolls around, it just feels fitting to incorporate rye flour into my baking. We’re already rolling these Molasses Rye Spice Snaps and now I’m tossing brown sugar and rye flour with butter for a decadent but simple apple crisp topping.

Simple Apple Crisp Variations and Substitutions

Pears, Cranberries and More Fruit Fillings

As laid out in my Any-Ingredient Fruit Crisp post, once you have the formula for this dessert, you can almost swap in any seasonal fruits. I love a Pear-Lavender Crisp, or a cran-apple crisp, adding in 1 cup of fresh cranberries and increasing the sugar in the filling to 1/3 cup.

Gluten-Free Crisp Topping

Alternative flours like almond, oat and rice bring fun textures to a crisp topping — and the added bonus of being gluten-free. I’m obsessed with the crumbly texture that a gluten-free crisp streusel delivers. Try my Nutty Fruit Crisp Topping (it’s a zero waste recipe, too).

Breakfast Apple Crisp

My friend Julie makes a granola-topped pear and apple crisp in her cookbook ‘Out of Orchard’. It’s perfect comfort food for autumn mornings, served with a scoop of Greek-style yogurt.

To bake one for yourself, prepare my recipe below but replace the streusel with 2-3 cup of your favourite granola.

Scaling up this Recipe

Having a few jars of crisp streusel in the freezer is like having dessert in your back pocket! Here’s my Big Batch, Do-Ahead Crisp Topping, for a basic recipe. The Brown Sugar Rye Streusel recipe below also freezes very well, so make a double batch while you’re at it.

Freezing a Whole Crisp

Just like most hearty baked goods, an apple crisp can be baked and frozen. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and stash it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat the dessert in a 375F oven to crisp up the streusel topping once again.

Simple Apple Crisp with Brown Sugar Rye Streusel: The Recipe!

So you’ve brought home a basket of fall apples from the farmer’s market = or maybe you’ve even picked your own. Either way you’re more than ready to bake up something sweet!

Here’s my simple apple crisp for your weekend baking enjoyment. Have fun!