I think we all breathe a sigh of relief when the first signs of fall arrive. Here in Iowa, the beginning of falls means cool mornings and slightly warmer evenings with spectacular sunsets. All of these signs give me such excitement for the season to come. One of the greatest joys in the fall is the apples. Thankfully, this year looks to be a bumper crop (especially in my orchard) and that leaves me dreaming of every apple-inspired baked item I can think of! The warm spices and flavors of this skillet apple crisp just scream fall.
This crisp is such a simple, rustic, and quick fall dessert, making it perfect for an evening with friends – or any weeknight, actually! You can pretty much throw all the ingredients together in one large skillet, do a little bit of stovetop cooking, place it in the oven and forget about it! The crunchiness of the granola sprinkled on at the end is a nice complement to the smooth texture of the apples. If I feel like living on the edge, I may even sprinkle on a bit of my pumpkin spice granola to add a bit more flavor. I mean, how great does that sound?!
And of course, no one’s going to complain if you serve this with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream on top… maybe make that two scoops!
This dessert is such a great beginning to the fall baking season and I know you’re going to love it. Bake it once and you’ll add it to your own recipe book! Enjoy!
Watch how to make this skillet apple crisp:
Are you going to make this apple crisp? If (and when!) you do, make sure to let me know how much you love it. Just leave a comment a star rating in the comment section below.
Skillet Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the filling
- 3 lb crisp, firm apples (I use a mixture of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp flour
- ¼ cup Calvados (apple liqueur) or apple cider
For the crisp topping
- 1 cup granola
- 4 tbsp cold butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp old-fashioned oats
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
For the crisp
- Combine the brown sugar, oats and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
- Cut in the cold butter until a coarse crumb texture is achieved.
- Stir in granola and set aside.
For the filling
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Wash, peel and slice apples about ¼ inch thick.
- In a large bowl combine apples, lemon zest, lemon juice, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup. Stir to combine.
- Melt butter in a 12-inch cast iron (or oven safe) skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add apple mixture. Cook until the apples become saucy, thickened and are beginning to soften, 8-10 minutes.
- Add Calvados (or cider) and stir.
- Move skillet to preheated oven and bake until apples are softened and bubbling, 10-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle prepared crisp topping evenly over the apples and return to oven until the crisp turns golden brown, approximately 4-6 minutes more.
- Remove from oven and let cool but serve warm.
