15-Minute Apple Crisp

Nothing beats a comforting bowl of hot cinnamony apple crisp on a cool evening. Unless, of course, said dessert is made in 15 minutes flat.

You guys. 15-minute Apple Crisp. Can I get an amen?!

I think this might be my favourite recipe of 15-Minute Desserts Month. Let me explain…

Normally, apple crisp is a labour of love. You spend time carefully peeling and chopping the apples, tossing them with sugar and sweet spices, and rubbing together an oaty crumble to scatter over top. You walk away and allow the oven to slow roast the apples until they’re soft and sweet and crisp up the butter and sugar into a crunchy moreish topping that everyone fights over. But it takes time. About 90 minutes start to finish, in fact.

Sometimes, I don’t want to wait until the weekend for a bowl of apple crisp, but ain’t nobody got time to spend 90 minutes on a Monday night slaving over a giant dish of it. Not to mention – what the heck are you going to do with the rest of the apple crisp? It really doesn’t freeze well and keeping it in the refrigerator will soften the topping, rendering the title of “crisp” a bit moot.

That’s why I love this 15-Minute Apple Crisp recipe. Not only is it hot, comforting, crunchy, and downright delicious, but we’re also churning out a 90-minute dessert in a quarter of an hour. It’s basically magic.

How to make apple crisp in 15 minutes

While this 15-Minute Apple Crisp is pretty easy to make, the order in which you perform the steps is what makes this a 15-minute dessert. We’re going to be doing lots of things at once, but don’t panic! Read these steps and the recipe through and you’ll be on your way to dessert heaven in minutes:

1. Get all of your ingredients prepped and your measuring equipment ready while the oven is preheating.
2. Start with the apples. Don’t bother peeling them and chop them small. Get them into the hot pan and simmering.
3. Move onto prepping the crisp while the apples are simmering for the first 4 minutes. Bang the crisp into the oven. Be sure to set a timer!
4. Go back to the apples. Add the arrowroot powder and give ‘em a quick stir. Don’t stir too much, otherwise the apples will start to break up. We want them to stay chunky.
5. While the apples are on their second simmer, get that crisp out of the oven and stir it up to create some chunks. Leave it at room temperature for the remainder of the time to allow it to crisp up.
6. Ladle the hot apples into a bowl and top with some of the crisp. Now sit and savour your comforting bowl of apple crisp that you knocked out in 15 minutes.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it only makes enough apple crisp for two people (or one “I’ve had a very shit day” portion). That way, you won’t have any leftovers tempting you the rest of the week, and the crisp won’t go all soggy and un-crisp-like. That’s honestly the most devastating thing about leftover apple crisp, IMO.

The best apple varieties for 15-Minute Apple Crisp

I found that it’s best to use an eating apple that is juicy yet firm for this recipe. My absolute favourites for this are Chegworth Valley’s Crimson Crisp or Braeburn, but Cox apples work nicely too. These varieties are soft and sweet, but they’re also firm enough that they break down in 8 minutes without turning to mush.

For regular apple crisp or apple slice, I use Bramley or Granny Smith, because they’re firm and their sourness complements the sweetness of the sugar. However, for this quick version, the cooking apples were too sour and firm; they didn’t soften in the time required. Conversely, Gala was much too soft and disintegrated during cooking.

I hope you love this 15-Minute Apple Crisp recipe and give it a go this week! If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram and use the hashtag #15MinuteDesserts. I can’t wait to see and share your creations!

Next week is the final recipe in our #15MinuteDesserts Month, and I’ve saved the cheekiest for last. We’re diving into the sweet and salty world with Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Parfaits. It’s gonna be so good.

Looking for more quick desserts?

• Rhubarb and Custard Protein Truffles
• The Best Natural Peanut Butter Cookies
• Grapefruit and Thyme Mascarpone Tart
• Orange Creamsicle Parfaits

5 from 1 vote

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15-Minute Apple Crisp

Knock out a warming bowl of cinnamony apple crisp in 15 minutes any night of the week with this quick and easy recipe.

Category Dessert

Keyword apple crisp

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Serves 2

Author Amanda | Naturally Sweet Kitchen

Ingredients

Apples

• 14 g unsalted butter
• 260 g firm eating apples chopped small
• 45 g coconut sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
• 100 ml water
• ½ tsp arrowroot powder

Crisp

• 30 g rolled oats
• 30 g plain flour
• 50 g coconut sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
• 30 g cold unsalted butter cubed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and prepare a baking tray with a layer of parchment or a silicone baking mat.

Apples

1. Melt the tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt to the butter and toss well.
2. Stir in the water, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 4 minutes.
3. Remove the lid, whisk in the arrowroot powder and then allow the apples to simmer for 4 more minutes uncovered.

Crisp

1. Tip the oats, flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl. Stir to combine and then rub the butter into the mixture using your hands until it resembles chunky sand. (Alternatively, you can chuck all of these ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles chunky sand.)

2. Roughly spread the crisp mixture out on the tray and then bake for 4-5 minutes.
3. Remove the crisp from the oven, stir to create chunky crumbles, and let cool for 3-5 minutes to crisp up.

Assembly

1. Divide the apple mixture evenly between two bowls, top with an equal amount of the crisp, and serve with a dollop of yogurt or vanilla ice cream.

Notes

• I recommend using a juicy yet firm variety of apple, such as Crimson Crisp or Braeburn. This will ensure that the apples soften enough in the time allotted, but will also retain some of their structure.
• This apple crisp is best consumed the day it is made.