The Best Apple Crisp With Pecans
The best apple crisp with pecans is a perfect autumn dessert sure to please the whole family. It’s that time of year again when we’ve picked and gathered up our apples. There are so many ways to preserve them. Applesauce is a must, but what if you make up a bunch of apple crisps for your freezer? Apple pie is great too, but apple crisp comes together in minutes without having to make a crust. Any time a guest arrives or you need a quick dessert, there is homemade apple goodness on hand.
Ingredients for the Best Apple Crisp with Pecans
With just a handful of pantry staples, you can whip up one, two, or as many apple crisps as you wish. For this dessert, I selected two different varieties of apples. Honeycrisp apples are a mix of tart and sweet with a juicy bite, and Fuji apples are deliciously sweet. Roasted and chopped pecans, cinnamon, cardamom, salted butter, and a dash of salt round out the ingredients for this dessert.
Apples
Peel and core the apples by any method you choose. My countertop peeler works better than by hand, but I am looking to upgrade to a spiralizer for my stand mixer.
This peeler also slices them very thin, which is what you want for this dish. They should be about a quarter to an eighth of an inch thick.
Don’t let all those apple peels and cores go to waste. You can either make apple cider or compost them. I ended up making four 9×7 pans of apple crisp, one to eat now and three for the freezer. I used around 12 apples to make them. You need four medium to large apples per pan.
To prevent the apple slices from browning while you work, fill a large bowl with water and the juice of one lemon. Submerge the slices until ready to use. Before putting them in the baking dish, dry them off really well with a clean linen towel.
Pecans
Pecans are the king of the dessert nuts. Crunchy and chewy at the same time, with a hint of sweetness and that unmistakable earthy nutty taste. They make every crumb topping better.
Roast your raw pecans first in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes checking often and stirring. The pecans should smell fragrant and nutty.
Let them cool, then chop them into small pieces. You can use a knife or a hand chopper as I do. Be careful using a blender or a Cuisinart so that you don’t turn them into powder. Set aside
Ready the Rest of the Ingredients for the Apple Crisp
In a separate mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup brown sugar. Add in cinnamon, cardamom, and a dash of salt. Whisk together until nicely combined. Time to add in the pecans!
You can play around with the seasonings for your desired taste. Try adding ground ginger, freshly ground nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spices.
When the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed together, get out your butter. You want to use cold salted butter for this crumbly topping. Cut up six tablespoons of butter into small cubes and put them in the dry mixture. You can also use frozen butter grated into the mixture.
Then using your hands, work the butter into the other ingredients until small little balls and clumps form. Work quickly as your hands are warm and you do not want to melt the butter. A pastry cutter would also work, but there is no better tool than our hands. If not using it right away, store this in the refrigerator.
Assemble Your Baking Pans
First, set your chosen pans out. My pans all measured roughly 9×7 inches. Pat your apples dry if they were in lemon water and spread them out as evenly as you like. This is not a fussy dish, it shouldn’t look perfect.
Next, get your crumb topping and fluff it around with a fork especially if it has been sitting in the refrigerator. Then, using your hands, sprinkle it over the apples forming a sort of crust. And that is it for the assembly. So simple! As an optional treat, sprinkle the tops with a raw cane or turbinado sugar. It gives the top a wonderful sweet crunch.
Baking the Best Apple Crisp with Pecans
With your oven preheated to 375 degrees, place your pan of apple crisp inside. After about 30 minutes give it a check. You want to see the butter bubbling and the sugars start to caramelize. My apple crisp took between 35-40 minutes. Remember all ovens are different so you want to keep an eye on them. The cook time also depends on the material of the baking dish. Glass and ceramic will take longer than metal. After the bake time, set it on a wire rack to cool, and then serve it with your favorite toppings! Homemade whipped cream and vanilla ice cream are wonderful on top.
Storing the Best Apple Crisp with Pecans in the Freezer
To have this dessert on hand, assemble your apple crisps into freezer containers. Do not bake first. Use a food-grade plastic bag to ensure a tight seal. Save and reuse the bags.
When you are ready to bake, place in a preheated 350 degree oven (lower temperature than from fresh) and bake for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and brown.
The Best Apple Crisp With Pecans Recipe
Apple Crisp with Pecans
This wonderfully simple apple crisp with pecans is a perfect autumn dessert and perfect way to use up those apples.
Ingredients
- 2 Honeycrisp apples. Peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 Fuji apples. Peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons of salted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup roasted and chopped pecans
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of cardamom
- Dash of salt
- Raw cane or turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and set out your pan.
- Prepare your apples. Peel, remove the core and slice thinly to about 1/4-1/8 of an inch. You can fill a bowl with water and the juice of one lemon to submerge the apple slices to prevent browning. Dry them with a towel before baking.
- In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and a dash of salt. Whisk together. Add the pecans.
- Slice the cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. You can also grate frozen butter. Using your hands quickly mix the butter into the dry ingredients until clumps form. A pastry cutter works also, but your hands are the best tools.
- Line your 9x7 inch pan with the prepared apple slices. Then crumble the flour butter mixture all over the top as evenly as you can.
- Bake in a preheated oven, uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until the top is bubbly and lightly browned.
- Let cool completely.
- Serve with homemade whipped topping or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Check the apple crisp near the end of the bake time as to not overcook. All ovens are different.
Store on the counter for 3 days, covered.
Wrap tightly in a freezer container for up to 3 months. Do not thaw before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes checking often towards the end.
Wrapping up
Autumn is a time to pick or harvest all kinds of delicious apples. There are many ways to use them, but my apple crisp with pecans is super simple to assemble and delicious. There is a rustic appeal in no-fuss seasonal desserts. You can easily double or triple this recipe. Having a few pans in the freezer is great for unexpected company or to give as a gift. As always, I look forward to hearing from you in the comment section if you’ve tried this out. Happy November!
Cheers,
Sarah
Shop My Favorite Kitchen Products
Bread Bags https://amzn.to/3Ny90Kk
Foil Pans with Lids https://amzn.to/3zDmH4W
Pampered Chef Food and Nut Chopper https://amzn.to/3zEKnFW (I’ve used mine for 16 years!)
KitchenAid Spiralizer (I don’t have this yet!) https://amzn.to/3fuIGE8
wonderful fall dessert
This looks easy and delicious.
This looks like a great recipe. Can’t wait to try it. I may substitute almonds for the walnuts as I am not a walnut fan. Great pictures!
Almonds might be a bit crunchy but definitely try it and let us know. I used pecans here and they were so good 🙂
Personally I prefer this over apple pie. Both are good though 🙂