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I have one question: is there anything better than the smell of apples, cinnamon, and a little maple syrup baking away in your kitchen?
Maybe pumpkin pie baking. But the smell of sweet apples coated in cinnamon is by far one of the best smells out there. To me, it smells like my Grandma’s house, which is probably why I LOVE baked apples anything.
I don’t ever remember my Grandma baking apple crisp when I was growing up because we were all too obsessed with her apple pie to want anything else. It was the best.
No, this isn’t apple pie. BUT I do have a gluten free apple pie, if you’re interested.
Today, we are discussing apple crisp. It’s apple pie’s less fussy, super easy, but still so dang delicious cousin.
There is nothing too crazy or special about my apple crisp…I mean how can you mess with a classic that’s always perfection? However, I did naturally sweeten my crisp by using mostly maple syrup and a little coconut sugar.
You’re gonna love it!
Okay, I know when I say naturally sweeten that you’re probably like, ” but Emily, granulated sugar is natural. It comes from the cane sugar plant, there is nothing fake about it.”
And, you’re exactly right. However, granulated cane sugar (AKA white sugar or brown sugar) are highly processed sugars that tend to send your blood sugars sky rocketing. Maple syrup and coconut sugar are quite a bit lower on the glycemic index. Meaning your body responds better to the sugar as it processes it.
I prefer to use minimally processed ingredients whenever possible, for one reason: You naturally get more nutrients from minimally processed foods. And yes, that includes sugar.
Real maple syrup that is made from the sap of MAPLE trees, not the fake stuff made from artificial flavors, is packed with vitamins and minerals. So cool, right?
Yes, while this is a dessert we are talking about, I find these easy swaps from highly processed granulated white sugar to using less processed forms of sugar add up and make an impact in the way I feel.
Plus maple syrup, especially, has such a lovely complex fall flavor that white sugar lacks. So why not use it to sweeten our apple crisp?
Moving on from my lesson in sugar ha!
Once the cooler weather strikes I would be one happy girl if I could smell apple crisp baking in my oven at least once a week. Who wants to come over to share some apple crisp?!?
Apple crisp is so simple it’s perfect for serving to guests. Here’s all you do:
- slice apples (you can peel them, or leave them unpeeled. It depends on my mood and how much time I have.)
- mix apples with lemon juice, corn starch, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup. Spread them into a greased baking dish.
- Mix up the topping: oats, sliced almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and melted coconut oil – spread on top of apples
- bake and sit back as your kitchen begins to smell like fall heaven.
- ENJOY! Serve warm, with a side of vanilla ice cream if you would like.
Fall baking perfection!
Those tender cinnamon baked apples topped with crispy oats, almonds, and more cinnamon makes every bite so incredible and warming and comforting. It’s everything good in life!
Even better, but totally optional, is to serve this warm apple crisp with some creamy, cold vanilla ice cream on the side. I totally forgot to buy ice cream for these photos and that just meant we got to eat more apple crisp ha! BUT seriously, vanilla ice cream is never a bad idea to go with any warm apple crisp!
Just look at those gooey, tender baked apple with that scoop of crunchy, crispy topping. Come one, I know you want a bite!!!
The one thing I love about this apple crisp recipe that I think is extra special compared to others I have had is the topping. The combo of the coconut sugar, maple syrup, and coconut oil really make for an extra crunchy crisp topping that comes off in large clusters. Yes, it will even withstand against your quickly melting vanilla ice cream!
Also, did I mention that this apple crisp is vegan, dairy free, and gluten free! This makes it extra easy to serve to a guests who might have allergies or dietary preferences.
Go ahead, cozy up with a blanket, maybe have a candle burning away, and dig into this delicious apple crisp.
Savor every single bite!
It’s recipes like this apple crisp that make cold fall weather worth it. Don’t you agree?
Here are more apple recipes for you to make all fall long:
- gluten free apple pie
- pumpkin spice protein pancakes with sauteed apples
- maple dijon marinated pork chops with apples and cabbage (a fave fall weeknight meal)
- slow cooker apple cider + boozy bar
- fall cobb salad with butternut squash (and apples)
Yassss! Now you can go buy ALL of the apples in sight!
Did you make this recipe? Please don’t forget to leave a comment below telling me about it, along with a star rating. I love hearing from you and this helps others to find my recipes easier. Thanks friends! Happy baking!
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Apple Crisp (Sweetened with Maple Syrup)
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 5 to 7 1x
- Category: dessert, baking
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, refined sugar free, vegetarian
Description
Apple crisp, tender baked apples and cinnamon topped with a crunchy oat topping. Sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar for a healthier dessert.
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 3 to 4 cups baking apples, sliced (about 5 large apples)
- Juice of a half of a lemon
- 3 teaspoons corn starch
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 to 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Crisp topping
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds (can use other chopped nuts such as walnuts, or pecans)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional: 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Optional for serving
- vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×9 baking dish and set aside. Thinly slice your apples (you can either peel them or leave the skin on, both ways taste great, just depends on the mood I am in/how much time I have).
- Mix apples: Add the sliced apples to a large mixing bowl along with the lemon juice, give the apples a good toss. Next add the corn starch, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup and stir until everything is well combined. Transfer the apples to the prepared baking dish and spread the in an even layer.
- Mix the crisp topping: Give the mixing bowl the apples were in a good rinse and dry it with a paper towel, or grab a clean mixing bowl. Stir the oats, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg salt, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup until well combined. Spread the crisp topping on top of the apples in an even layer.
- Bake: Bake the crisp for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the apples are bubbling and the topping is crispy and golden brown. If your topping begins to look too brown you can cover it with foil the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking. This will depend on your oven. My oven is gas, so the heat source is on the bottom. If your heat source is on the top of the oven your topping may burn or brown faster so keep an eye on it.
- Cool: Once the crisp has finished baking remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve: After it has cooled scoop the crisp into serving bowls or plates. Serve with vanilla ice cream on the side, if desired. Enjoy warm!
- Leftovers: Leftovers are still good but the topping gets soggy so the crisp is best eaten when fresh.
Notes
Apples: Sometimes I peel my apples, and other times I leave them unpeeled. I enjoy the crisp either way – just depends on the mood I am in/how much time I have. I used honeycrisp apples for this recipe. They are naturally pretty sweet so I only used 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. You can use any kind of firm baking apple, such as granny smith, mcintosh, gala, pink lady, jonagold etc. If you use a tart apple you will want to use 2 to 4 tablespoons of maple syrup.
Almonds: As stated above you an sub the sliced almonds for chopped pecans or walnuts. If you ‘re not a fan of nuts in your crisp you can simply omit them completely and replace them with 1/2 cup extra rolled oats.
Coconut sugar: You can swap the coconut sugar for 1/4 cup maple syrup if you prefer, but the topping might not get as crispy. I find the combo of maple syrup and coconut sugar to make the crispiest topping.
Coconut oil: You can easily swap the coconut oil for melted butter, if you prefer. The topping may not get as crispy because of the lower fat content and higher water content in butter vs coconut oil.
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