A Favorite Fall Classic: Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

This ultra-simple Slow Cooker Apple Crisp is bursting with juicy apples, warm with cinnamon spice and virtually cooks itself. It’s an autumn must cook.

And when it’s apple season — and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than with this fall classic.

Apple Crisp (or Apple Crumble) is a quintessential autumn dish. An incredibly delicious seasonal comfort food that I love to make as soon as the new crop apples begin showing up in our market. Or, if I’m fortunate enough to have just visited the Yakima Valley where my parents grew up, straight from the apple orchard.

And the slow-cook method is not only convenient but a bit indulgent. I get to work in my office and smell the apples baking — for hours. It’s a happy day when that happens!

A Little History

The first reference to an apple crisp recipe doesn’t occur until 1924 in Everybody’s Cook Book: A Comprehensive Manual of Home Cookery, by Isabel Ely Lord.

In the same year, the recipe makes an appearance in a newspaper article featured in Wisconsin’s Appleton Post Cresent.

While rather a newcomer in culinary history, it quickly became an autumn classic favorite in British, American, and Canadian households.

Apple Crisp or Apple Crumble?

A distant cousin, the apple pandowdy, a similar variation to an apple crumble or crisp, first appeared in Miss Corson’s Practical American Cookery in 1886.

And whether you call it apple crumble, or apple crisp, the dish defines the season.

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

Slow-cooking an apple crisp — or crumble isn’t much different than the traditional oven method. But it’s incredibly convenient, permeates your home with the fragrance of autumn, and is a welcome dessert after a chilly fall day.

One secret to an amazing apple crisp is, of course, the quality and variety of the apple. Each presents a unique flavor and texture. My favorite variety is an old-fashioned favorite, Golden Delicious.

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

It’s apple season — and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than with this fall classic Slow Cooker Apple Crisp. This ultra simple Slow Cooker Apple Crisp is bursting with juicy apples, warm with cinnamon spice and virtually cooks itself. It’s an autumn must cook.

• Author: Stephanie Wilson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Slow Cooker
• Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

7–8 large apples, peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Topping

1–1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), diced

Instructions

Coat a medium-sized slow cooker lightly with non-stick cooking spray. In the bottom of the slow cooker, toss apples with lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch.

For the topping:

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Cut in the diced butter until it resembles coarse meal. Spread topping evenly over the apples.

Hint: I like to place a kitchen towel or paper towel under the lid of the crockpot. It helps to absorb any extra liquid and brown the topping. Purely optional.

Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours. Test the apples to be sure they are fully cooked. Adjust cooking time as needed depending on your slow cooker. My apple crisp is ready at 3 hours when I cook it on low.

Serve warm with a scoop ice cream.

Notes

Apples: my favorite variety is Golden Delicious but if you like a more tart apple, a Honeycrisp or Granny Smith is delicious!

Keywords: apple crisp, slow cooker apple crisp

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