The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Gluten Free Apple Crisp the Ultimate Autumn Dessert

The sweet smell of an apple crisp baking in the oven always reminds me of my mother’s wonderful baking. Apple crisp has always been one of my favorite desserts. The crisp and sweet brown sugar crumble, paired perfectly with the sticky cinnamon syrup-coated apples.

Cinnamon and apples set the stage for the perfect autumn dessert. Whether it is an apple pie, apple crumble, apple crisp, apple cobbler, or any other apple creation fall is the season for apple desserts.

Just because you need to eat gluten free doesn’t mean you should have to miss out on all the wonderful apple flavors. Gluten free pie crust is notoriously difficult to bake, making apple crisp the perfect gluten free apple pie substitute. Someday I will master gluten free pie crust but, in the meantime, this recipe for gluten free apple crisp provides a guaranteed no-fail gluten free apple dessert.

A preference for apple crisp or apple crumble usually is based on which version of this wonderful dessert that you grew up with. But what really is the difference between apple crisp and apple crumble? Both desserts have the same fruit filling covered in a golden-brown topping.

What is Apple Crisp?

Apple crisp is baked apple dessert consisting of an apple fruit filling that is cooked until the apples are tender yet still distinguishable covered in a crisp topping. This recipe for gluten free apple crisp uses the gluten free apple crisp topping with oats to provide the crisp crust on the top of the desert. The inclusion of rolled oats in the crust topping is what separates and distinguishes a crisp from a crumble. It is important to remember to use gluten free oats when baking a gluten free apple crisp.

A great variation of apple crisp that we often make is a foil pack apple crisp or apple tacos. While these are fantastic apple desserts for camping, they can’t beat a traditional apple crisp as the ultimate fall dessert.

The crisp topping need not be limited to just apples, the same crisp topping can be used to finish a wide variety of fruit crisps.

What is Apple Crumble?

Where apple crisp includes oats in the topping, an apple crumble does not. The removal of the rolled oats from the topping provides a crumblier less crispy topping, hence the names for each of these closely related desserts. A gluten free flour blend can be used in most apple crumble recipes successfully, but the crumble tends to be smaller pieces than when made with a normal all-purpose flour.

Because of the fine crumble topping when baking with gluten free flour, apple crisp is a better choice for a gluten free dessert.

What Are the Best Apples For Apple Crisp?

Which is the best type of apple for apple crisp? There is a surprising variety in the number of types of apples, are some better than others for apple crisp?

The simple answer to the question of which is the best apple to use in apple crisp is the apple that you have. All apples work well in apple crisp, apple crisp is very forgiving and adaptable. However, if you are shopping for apples specifically to make gluten free apple crisp look for apples that are commonly used in apple pie such as Granny Smith

How to Serve

The best way to serve apple crisp can be a source of heated debate. In an effort to avoid all controversy, there is no wrong way to serve apple crisp.

A big scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream is a classic way to serve apple crisp. Like many other desserts a la mode elevates the dessert to the next level of class and sophistication.

Not far behind in the classic ways to serve apple crisp is with whipped cream or even just a drizzle of heavy cream just as the dessert is served.

For those that are lactose intolerant, or just prefer, you really can’t go wrong serving apple crisp plain.

Beyond debating what to serve with your gluten free apple crisp will be the question “Hot or cold?” This is a personal preference question as this gluten-free apple crisp recipe is great both hot and cold. Steaming hot fresh from the oven with the sweet aromas in the air is hard to beat. However, leftovers if there are any is a great breakfast treat or the perfect midnight snack cold and straight from the fridge.

Recipe for Gluten Free Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS

6 Large Apples
¼ cup Butter (melted)
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
½ cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon Powder
Gluten Free Apple Crisp Topping with Oats (see below)

STEPS:

Preheat over to 375°F
Core and slice the apples into slices or bite-sized pieces approximately ¼” in thickness.
Toss the apples in a mixing bowl with the lemon juice.
Add the melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to the bowl.
Toss the apple mixture to evenly coat the pieces of the apple
Place the apple mixture in a 9X13 or similar-sized baking dish.
Spread the gluten free apple crisp topping with oats in an even layer over the apples
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and has formed a crisp crunchy crust on the top of the dessert.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, the longer the crisp rests and cools the more the fruit mixture will set.
Serve and enjoy

Lemon juice helps to keep the apples from turning brown preserving the bright white flesh. It also activates the natural pectin in the fruit to set the fruit filling.

Recipe for Gluten Free Apple Crisp Topping With Oats

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats
1 cup Gluten Free Flour Blend
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Butter

STEPS:

Mix the gluten free flour, gluten free oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium sized mixing bowl
Cut the butter into small pieces and then add to the dry ingredient mixture
Continue to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is fully incorporated. This can be done using a pastry cutter or two butter knives.
Spread the topping in an even layer over the fruit base.

Tip: To make a gluten free apple crumble this topping recipe can be modified by replacing the oats with an additional 2/3 cup of flour and ½ cup of brown sugar.

FAQ About Gluten Free Apple Crisp Topping with Oats

Why is my apple crisp not crispy?

To help your crisp get crispy try gently patting the crisp topping before placing it in the oven to help the crisp crust form.

Do you eat apple crisp hot or cold?

This recipe for gluten free apple crisp can be enjoyed both hot and cold. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is the perfect accompaniment to hot apple crisp. While cold apple crisp is a wonderful breakfast treat or midnight snack.

Is streusel the same as crumble?

Streusel, crumble, and crisp topping are often intermingled terms for toppings on top of fruit deserts. Streusel and crumble are essential the same mixture of flour, sugar, and butter; with crumble used as a top crust to a fruit filling and streusel being the same topping added to other desserts like pie or muffins. A crisp simply adds rolled oat to the crumble or streusel. Our recipe for apple crisp topping with oats can easily be modified to bake a crumble topping as an alternative.