NoAdsCooking
Brown Butter Apple Crisp with Oat-Pecan Topping

Brown Butter Apple Crisp with Oat-Pecan Topping

Updated October 28, 2026

Tender cinnamon-spiced apples under a crunchy brown butter, oat and pecan topping, baked until bubbling.

Before you start: heat the oven to 375°F; peel, core and slice the apples about 1/4 inch thick; butter a 2-quart baking dish, such as an 8x8 or a deep 9-inch dish. Mix in a couple of sweeter apples like Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious for a softer, sweeter filling.

Make ahead: the topping keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer; scatter it straight from cold and add 5 minutes to the bake. Serve with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Cook time
1 hr 35 min
Rating
…

Ingredients

Scale
Measurement units
  • 10 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 lb Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick; about 6 medium)
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt (divided)
  • 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar (packed)
  • ¾ cup pecans (chopped)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Brown the butter
Melt butter (10 tbsp) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep cooking, swirling the pan, until it foams, then the bits on the bottom turn golden brown and it smells nutty, about 5 minutes.
Pour it right away, browned bits and all, into a medium bowl and let it cool while you prep the apples.
Equipment: small saucepan
Make the apple filling
In a large bowl, toss sliced apples (3 lb) with lemon juice (1 tbsp).
Add sugar (¼ cup), cornstarch (1 tbsp), cinnamon (1 tsp), nutmeg (¼ tsp) and salt (¼ tsp) and toss until evenly coated. Spread in the buttered baking dish.
Equipment: large bowl, 2-quart baking dish
Make the topping
To the bowl of brown butter, add oats (1 ½ cups), flour (¾ cup), brown sugar (¾ cup), chopped pecans (¾ cup), salt (½ tsp) and vanilla (½ tsp).
Stir with a fork, then squeeze with your fingers, until it holds together in clumps. Scatter evenly over the apples.
Bake
Set the dish on the foil-lined sheet pan and bake at 375°F until the topping is deep golden, a knife slides easily into the apples and the juices bubble thickly at the edges, about 40 minutes. If the topping browns too fast, lay foil loosely over it.
Equipment: rimmed sheet pan
Rest
Let the crisp rest so the juices thicken, about 15 minutes, then serve warm.

Tomorrow's Meal

Apple Crisp Breakfast Oatmeal

Creamy stovetop oatmeal with a big spoonful of leftover apple crisp warmed right into it.

You'll need to pick up:

1 cup old-fashioned oats2 cups milkpinch of saltplain yogurt for topping

Quick overview:

  1. 1.Bring the milk and salt to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat
  2. 2.Stir in the oats and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until creamy
  3. 3.Warm about 1 cup leftover crisp in a small skillet over medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes
  4. 4.Spoon the oatmeal into bowls and top with the warm crisp and a dollop of yogurt

Ratings

Loading ratings…

Your rating

Have you cooked this?

Comments

Loading comments…

Ready to cook? Or want to explore more recipes?