It’s a favorite during apple season. With all of the traditional tastes of apple crisp, this Easy Cast Iron Apple Crisp is one of the easiest apple desserts you’ll ever make!
Friends, welcome to apple season! Is there a more traditional dish than apple crisp? Alright, enough of your pie-talking. What distinguishes a crisp from a pie, do you know? What’s easier is that you don’t need to create a pie crust! Now for my simple cast-iron apple crisp!
7 Simple Ingredients
- Apples: Please see my remarks on our preferred apples below.
- Oats: Aim for Old Fashioned Oats rather than Instant Oats.
- I use light brown sugar, but you may use dark to make it taste more richer and more complex.
- Unsalted Butter: If you want, you may use salted butter; just be sure to increase the salt amount.
- For the crumble, use flour.
- Salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon
The Best Apples to Use
The apples that preserve their structure the best for baking are those with a somewhat tarter flavor, since this helps prevent them from becoming a mushy mess while baking.
I used an apple known as Akane, or Tokyo Rose, for this dish. They’re not often found in supermarkets, but if you can locate them in your neighborhood orchard, I think it was a great option because they’re aromatic, little tangy, and have a lovely structure to them.
Our top picks that are easily obtained at a grocery store include Pink Ladys, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Jonagold, and Braeburn.
How Easy is it to Make?
Easy as 1. Cook apples; 2. Add crumble on top; 3. Bake!
To be honest, peeling and slicing the apples is the “hardest” step. Here’s an apple peeler and corer combined into one handy tool to really make your life even simpler!
While most people bake crisps on a baking dish, I prefer to bake them in a cast-iron skillet. It not only gives a slight fancy touch, but it also has some other advantages.
Benefits of Baking with a Cast Iron
- Mastery. To ensure that the apples are all soft before baking, you may cook them first on the stovetop with a cast iron skillet instead of using a baking pan, and you won’t have to dirty another pan!
- Even when preparing food. Cast iron cookware is highly advantageous since it produces consistent and uniform heat, which facilitates even cooking.
- Style Elements. Which one, let’s face it, looks nicer on a table? Cast iron or a baking pan? That’s right.
Baked to perfection with a really simple crumble on top!
You may use a food processor or a pastry cutter (like this one) to make the crumble. In my opinion, if you own a food processor but lack a pastry cutter, you should purchase one. Much less cleaning is involved! Our fave is this:
We prefer to prepare this ahead of time so that it can be quickly assembled and baked during dinner, keeping it fresh for dessert! Refer to the recipe notes for instructions on how to achieve this.
FAQs
Do the apples need to be peeled?
It is not necessary for you to. However, I like this dish better with the peel on. If not, simply make sure the apples are cooked through, which might require cooking them for a little while longer while they are still in their skins.
Could I prepare the apples ahead of time?
Sure, When I know I want to make something to serve right out of the oven after supper, I usually do this. If you want to prepare them ahead of time, put the apples in a big bowl, cover them with water, and then squeeze in 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
Is there a smaller cast iron I can use for this?
Indeed. We use a 12-inch, but a smaller one will work just as well; the crisp will be thicker.
Friends, have fun!
More Recipes You Might Like
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Healthy Chicken Leek and Potato Bake
- One Pan Greek Chicken Legs
- Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings Soup
Easy Cast Iron Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 6 apples peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch salt
- Topping
- 1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Set oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Peel, wash, and slice the apples to prepare them.
- Cast iron is heated on medium-low heat. Combine sugar, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Stir in butter after adding. When the apples are tender, add them, coat them with butter, and simmer for five minutes.
- Combine the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium-sized bowl, stirring to combine. Using a pastry cutter or food processor, cut in the cubed, cooled butter.
- Sprinkle over the cast-iron apples.
- Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, using the center rack.
- Accompany with caramel sauce or ice cream!
Notes
It could take a little longer to cook the apples in the cast iron if you decide not to peel them. Just make sure the apples are cooked through.