Name: Salted Caramel Apple Crisp
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 200g (1 cup) granulated white sugar; 85g (6 Tablespoons) butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes; 120g (½ cup) heavy cream, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon salt; 100g (1/2 cup) soft brown sugar; 95g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; Pinch of salt; 90g (1 cup) old fashioned or rolled oats; 113g (½ cup) cold butter, cubed; 8 medium apples; 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom; Small pinch of ground cloves; 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce

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This salted caramel apple crisp recipe has the perfect balance of salty, tangy, and sweet. Topped with a buttery crisp topping.

In the cooler time of year, it’s time for apple desserts and this salted caramel apple crisp is the perfect fall dessert. An apple crisp tastes like apple pie but it’s so much easier to make.

This salted caramel version uses a homemade caramel sauce. The apples are tossed in the sauce, along with a little lemon juice and spices.

Then they are fitted snugly in a baking dish and topped with a crispy oat crumble topping. It’s so delicious when served with a scoop of ice cream.

The apples for apple crisp

The best kind of apples to use in a crisp like this are tart apples that can hold their shape well when they are baked. Using a tart variety also helps to balance the sweetness of the caramel sauce. You can use a variety of apples to bring different the best flavors and great contrast.

Some of the best varieties of apples for apple pie and apple crisp are

Granny smith – This green-skinned apple is tart and crisp. I like to use at least half granny smith apples then mix in a couple of sweeter apple types too.
Braeburn – Crisp and sweet, this apple holds its shape well when baked.
Gala apples – sweet and juicy
Pink lady apple – These fresh apples are refreshing and tart
Golden Delicious – This apple variety is very flavorful in a pie.
Honeycrisp apples – Sweet with a tart crunch

The spices

You’ll find the traditional apple spices in the juicy apple filling, but with the addition of a little ground cardamom too.

Cardamom’s citrus flavors bring the perfect balance of flavor with the apples and the rest of the spices. The spices used are:

Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ginger
Cloves
Cardamom

The crisp topping

The soft apples pair well with a crispy crumb topping.

Oats are combined with flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. The dry ingredients are tossed together, then cold unsalted butter is rubbed into the mixture using your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a food processor. It’s the butter that will crisp up the crisp topping in the oven.

The salted caramel sauce

Rich salted caramel sauce makes this apple crisp extra special.

This easy caramel sauce recipe doesn’t take long to make and you only need 4 ingredients: granulated sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt. It makes more than you need for the crisp, but leftover caramel sauce stores well for future desserts.

If you don’t feel like making your own, store-bought caramel sauce can be used too.

Method

Salted caramel

In a deep, medium saucepan over low to medium heat, melt the white sugar. Stir it gently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula while it melts. It will first clump together, then gradually melt into a brown amber liquid.

Don’t turn the heat up high or let it cook for too long or the sugar will burn and the caramel will be bitter.

Once the sugar has melted, grab a whisk and add in the cubes of butter, two or three cubes at a time. Start whisking straightway while you do this and don’t stop until all the butter has melted.

It will form a thick caramel but initially, the mixture may look like it has split. Take care doing this because the mixture will bubble up a lot and steam.

Once the butter has completely melted into the sugar, pour in the cream and keep whisking. Again, take extra care here as the cream will make the caramel bubble and rise.

cream poured into a saucepan of caramel.

Whisk it and let it keep cooking until it turns into a runny and deep brown caramel sauce. It will look split initially as the cream hits the hot caramel, but just keep whisking. Afterward, take it off the heat and stir in salt.

Let it cool for 30 minutes before continuing with the rest of the recipe.

The crisp topping

Preheat the oven to 350°F(180°C).

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together. Add in the cold butter cubes and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to rub it in until you achieve pea-sized pieces.

There will be a few dry bits but that’s fine. Place in the fridge while the apples are prepared.

The apples

Peel and core the apples. Dice them into 1/2- 1inch pieces. Add the apple pieces to a large bowl along with the spices and lemon juice and salted caramel sauce.

Toss it all together to coat.

Assembling

Lay the apples in a 10×10 inch baking pan or one of a similar size.

Spread over the crisp topping to cover the top of the apples.

Bake for around 45 minutes until the apples are soft and the crisp topping is golden brown.

Serving

Let the apple crisp cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve in bowls with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Storing

Store leftover caramel sauce in a sealed jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. It will thicken up considerably and have a scoopable firm consistency once cooled.

Once the apple crisp has cooled down to room temperature, the leftover crisp can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The apple crisp can also be frozen, baked, or unbaked for up to 3 months Unbaked frozen apple crisp can be baked from frozen without the need to thaw.

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