This skillet apple crisp is incredible. Its the perfect balance of sweet and tart with the most incredible crumble oat topping and cinnamon gooey center. I love that it comes together in less time than my traditional apple crisp recipe. It almost feels like cheat code because you don’t sacrifice any of the flavor yet it’s ready start to finish in forty minutes.
One secret to amazing apple desserts is using the right apples. I actually tried to use what was on sale at Kroger when I tested this recipe and I can definitively say, the apples you use makes a huge difference. I swear by using 50/50 Granny Smith and Fuji. You want the large ones sold individually for this recipe and you only need two of each. Another thing to note is the crumble topping. Traditionally cold butter gets cut into the sugar and flour to create a crumble but what I have found is if you use melted butter, then refrigerate the topping before baking, the crumbles keep their shape as opposed to melting down like a snowman. That’s why you begin this recipe by making the crumble topping first to give it time to chill.
Skillet apple crisp gets its name because it cooks in a…skillet. A 8-10″ oven safe one to be exact. The first round of cooking is on the stovetop. The apples soften with a little butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Heavy whipping cream is poured in just before it goes in the oven. The heavy whipping cream mixes with the sugar and apples and creates the most divine caramel goo during baking. Bake time is just 30 minutes because the stove top cooking started the process of softening the apples. Once out of the oven the crisp needs to cool for a full hour. After that it’s game on! Eat plain or pair with whipped cream or ice cream.
Skillet Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apples
- 2 Granny Smith apples large
- 2 Fuji apples large
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1/2 c light brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 c heavy whipping cream
Crumble Topping
- 1/2 c light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 1 c flour
- 1/2 c old fashioned oats
- pinch salt
- 9 tbsp salted butter melted
Instructions
- Start by making the crumble topping. Melt butter and set aside.
- To a mixing bowl add brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and oats.
- Pour over the melted butter and mix with a fork until everything is incorporated and looks like wet sand.
- Place bowl in the refrigerator while you move on to the apples.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel and cut apples in 1/4 slices. Halve the apple slices.
- To a pan set just under medium heat melt a tablespoon of butter. Add the apples.
- To the apples add brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Mix well and cook for 7 minutes.
- Pour heavy whipping cream to the pan and stir. Turn heat off.
- Grab the crumble topping from the refrigerator and break it up with a fork if it clumped together a lot. You want a mix of crumbles the size of peas and wet sand. Cover the apples in all of the topping.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for one hour. The juices will thicken up during this resting period. If you eat too soon it will be runny.