Honey Apple Crisp: A Cozy Fall Recipe

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Nothing says fall like the smell of apples and cinnamon baking. This crisp skips refined sugar and uses raw honey instead, which gives the apples a soft, caramel-like sweetness. It's easy enough for a weeknight and pretty enough for company.

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Ingredients (serves 6 to 8)

For the apple filling

• 6 medium apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), a mix of tart and sweet such as Granny Smith and Honeycrisp
• 1/4 cup raw honey (we use our Beeholden Farms raw honey)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch of salt

For the topping

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or almond flour)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup raw honey

Equipment: an 8x8 baking dish and, if you make a lot of apple desserts, an apple peeler-corer saves a lot of time.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.
2. Prep the apples. Peel (or leave the skins on for more texture), core, and slice about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Make the filling. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the honey, lemon juice, cornstarch, spices, and salt until evenly coated. Spread in the baking dish.
4. Make the topping. In another bowl, mix the oats, flour, nuts, cinnamon, and salt. Stir the melted butter or oil together with the honey, then pour over the dry ingredients and mix until clumpy.
5. Top the apples. Scatter the topping evenly, leaving some bigger clumps for crunch.
6. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the filling bubbles at the edges and the topping is golden. If the top browns too quickly, lay a piece of foil loosely over it for the last 10 minutes. Honey browns faster than sugar.
7. Cool 15 minutes before serving so the filling can thicken.

Serving ideas

• Warm with vanilla ice cream or dairy-free ice cream
• With a dollop of yogurt or whipped coconut cream
• With an extra drizzle of honey on top
• Cold for breakfast (we won't tell)

Tips for success

• Mix your apples. Tart apples hold their shape and balance the honey's sweetness.
• Try a darker honey for a deeper, more caramel flavor, or a spiced infused honey for extra warmth.
• Make it ahead. Assemble up to a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate. Add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
  

Cover leftovers and refrigerate up to four days. Rewarm individual servings in the oven or microwave to crisp the topping back up. Short on time? Our honey-glazed baked apples are a faster fall dessert.

Stock up for baking season. Our raw local honey makes this crisp something special.