Stovetop Skillet Apple Crisp
This stovetop method skips the oven, using a heavy skillet to caramelize apples in butter and brown sugar before topping them with a crunchy oat crumble. By cooking the fruit and topping separately in the same pan, you maintain the crisp texture of the topping while ensuring the apples are tender but not mushy.
Use a heavy-bottomed pan for even heat
A cast iron skillet is ideal because it retains heat, which helps the sugar develop into a dark amber syrup without burning.
- 10-inch cast iron skillet
- medium mixing bowl
- spatula
- paring knife
What goes in.
- 4 largeGranny Smith apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cupbrown sugar, packed
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 1/2 cuprolled oats
- 1/4 cupall-purpose flour
- 1/4 cupchopped walnuts
Toast the topping first
Cook the oat mixture in the dry skillet until golden and fragrant, then set it aside. This ensures the oats stay crunchy rather than steaming into a soft paste when added to the fruit.
The method.
Toast the crumble
In the skillet over medium heat, combine oats, flour, half the brown sugar, walnuts, and a pinch of salt. Stir constantly for 4 minutes until the oats darken to a toasted bronze. Transfer to a bowl.
Caramelize the apples
Add butter to the same skillet. Once bubbling, stir in the apples, cinnamon, and the remaining brown sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the syrup
Continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes. The apples should be tender when pierced with a knife, and the liquid should have thickened into a dark, syrupy glaze coating the fruit.
Assemble
Remove the skillet from the heat. Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture over the hot apples, letting it sit for two minutes before serving.
Other turns to take.
Spiced Pear
Replace two apples with ripe, firm pears and add a pinch of ground ginger to the topping.
Salted Version
Finish the finished dish with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt to cut through the sugar.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Cut your apple pieces roughly the same size so they soften at the same rate.
If the apple liquid looks too thin, keep the heat on for another minute; it will thicken rapidly once it hits the right temperature.
Wait to add the crumble until just before serving to keep the contrast between the hot fruit and the crunchy oats.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use quick oats instead of rolled?
Quick oats will soften much faster and lose the crunch; stick to rolled oats for the best texture.
How do I know the apples are done?
Press a piece against the side of the pan with your spatula; it should yield easily without falling apart into applesauce.
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