This strawberry apple crisp is bursting with jammy, fruity flavor. The ripe sweetness of strawberries perfectly balances the subtle tang from lemon zest. Just imagine the comforting aroma of brown sugar and vanilla filling the kitchen. Rolled oats in the golden brown, buttery crisp topping add nutty flavor and a satisfying chewy texture.
Crisps are simple, recipes that turn a generous amount of fruit into an easy, delicious dessert.
In this strawberry apple rendition, juicy, red strawberries and tart green apples are gently sweetened with brown sugar. I kept the sugar in the filling to a minimum to let the natural sweetness of the fruit shine through, and provide a nice contrast to the sweeter crisp topping. Vanilla and lemon zest provide additional flavor and complement the jammy fruit taste.
I've made the topping with half whole wheat flour in order to add a rustic texture and nutty flavor to the crisp. Rolled oats provide a chewy texture and additional heartiness.
Fruit crisps and crumbles (like this apple blackberry crumble - similarly made, but without oats) may not be pretty, but the sweet aroma of strawberries and apples baking will win you over to this humble, delectable dessert.
If they don't, the warm tender fruit, crispy topping, and thickened fruit juices definitely will. And there's the scoop of vanilla ice cream on top...
But you don't need more convincing. Have you turned on the oven yet?
For more fruit-centered recipes, try this easy blueberry pie, mascarpone topped grilled peach dessert and this plum yogurt cake.
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Ingredients
* See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
FOR THE TOPPING
Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter allows you to control the total quantity of salt in the recipe. Cube the butter to make it easier to cut into the flour mixture of the crisp.
Whole wheat flour - Whole wheat flour adds rustic heartiness and a subtle graham-cracker flavor. You can also use rye flour for a nutty profile.
Oats - This recipe uses old fashioned rolled oats. Do not replace with quick oats or steel cut oats.
FOR THE FILLING
Semi-tart baking apples - I use Granny Smith apples, which are tart and firm with a shiny, bright green peel. Braeburn apples have a similar flavor. Golden Delicious or Jonagold retain a comparable texture when baked.
Strawberries- Fresh or frozen strawberries will work for this recipe. There's no need to defrost the berries prior to baking. You may need to add a few minutes of bake time.
Brown sugar - If your strawberries aren't particularly sweet, consider adding an extra tablespoon of sugar. Taste the filling before you bake the crisp to get a sense if more sugar is needed.
Lemon juice - Lemon juice adds brightness and keeps the apples from turning brown.
Cornstarch - Cornstarch thickens the juices from the apples and strawberries.
Instructions
These photos provide visual cues. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card.
Mix together flours, oats, sugar and salt. Cube butter and add to flour mixture. Work butter into flour until mixture forms clumps. Cover bowl and freeze 15 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour.
Peel, core and chop apples. Add brown sugar, cornstarch, pinch of salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir until apples are well coated.
Chilling the crisp topping before baking will ensure that the butter remains cold. This will help the topping to crisp up well when baked.
Add strawberries and stir gently to blend into the apples and coat with cornstarch mixture.
Pour strawberry apple filling into dish and distribute evenly.
Pinch bits of the crisp topping mixture between your fingers to make small clumps. Sprinkle topping all over the fruit.
Place dish on parchment lined baking sheet (to catch any drips) and bake on middle rack of oven for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177° Celsius, Gas mark 4).
The crisp is done baking when juices in the middle are bubbling (not just at the edges) and the topping is a nice golden brown color.
Substitutions
- Whole wheat flour - Feel free to replace the whole wheat or rye flour in the crisp with an equal amount of all purpose flour. You'll lose the nutty flavor and rustic texture that whole wheat flour provides, but all purpose flour will still taste amazing.
- Strawberries- If you don't have strawberries, you can replace them with an equal amount of apples for a classic apple crisp. You could also use a similar amount of plums, blueberries or rhubarb. If using rhubarb, I recommend increasing the sugar quantity in the filling.
Variations
Give these variations and serving suggestions a try!
- Without oats - To make this crisp into a strawberry apple crumble, omit the oats from the recipe.
- With nuts - Add ¼ to ½ cup chopped nuts such as almonds or pecans to the crisp topping recipe.
- Extra topping- If the crispy, buttery topping is your favorite part of this classic fruit dessert, go ahead and make an extra thick layer! I'd start with a 1.5x recipe: increase the flours, sugar and butter each to ¾ cup, add 1⅛ cups rolled oats, and just a pinch more salt.
- Á la Mode - Serve each portion of strawberry apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - or your favorite flavor!
- Over the top - Serve with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar, or a drizzle of maple syrup.
Equipment
For this strawberry apple crisp recipe, I use a 2.5 quart (2.4 liter) ceramic Corning Ware casserole dish that measures 12 inches x 9.75 inches x 2 inches. A 9 x 13 inch casserole dish provides the same area and works equally well.
A parchment or foil lined half sheet baking pan (18 x 13 inches) catches any drips or spills. Sometimes a bit of fruit juice bubbles over. Save yourself the work of cleaning the oven and use a baking sheet underneath!
Frequently asked questions
It's up to you! I often don't peel apples for pies, tarts and applesauce. I did choose to peel these apples because shiny apples like the Granny Smith variety usually have a considerably thicker skin. If the peels don't normally bother you, feel free to leave them on.
It's truly a matter of preference. In this recipe, the apples are cut into smaller pieces and baked in the oven for nearly an hour. In that amount of time, they become quite tender, so I don't recommend pre-cooking them here.
If you prefer firmer apples, simply cut the apple pieces larger when preparing them.
Having the right ratio of butter to flour is important! Chilling the topping ensures the butter remains cold, which prevents the butter from melting prematurely.
Pressing the crisp mixture into small, firm clumps before placing on top of the fruit helps ensure a craggy, textured top that will bake up crispy.
Baking the crisp in a medium oven (350 degrees Fahrenheit, 177° Celsius, Gas mark 4) allows plenty of time for the fruit to break down without the topping getting too brown.
Yes! If you want to freeze the crisp before baking, freeze the fruit filling and crisp topping portions separately.
Seal the topping in a zipper sealed freezer-safe bag. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Prepare the fruit filling as written. Line the baking dish with a double layer of plastic wrap covering the entire interior surface. Press the lining in firmly to remove air bubbles. Place fruit filling into dish on top of plastic wrap. Cover with another layer of plastic wrap and place in freezer for several hours, until frozen.
Once fully frozen, remove plastic wrap with frozen filling from dish and wrap well. Place in the freezer in a well sealed layer of aluminum foil or sealed freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. (This way you get your dish back for other baking projects!)
When ready to bake, unwrap frozen fruit and place into dish. Spread the crisp topping onto the filling just before baking. Baking time will need to be extended since ingredients are frozen. Do not adjust oven temperature. If topping is getting too dark towards the end of baking, loosely cover top with aluminum foil.
Love this recipe? Please leave a comment and star rating. ★★★★★ Your feedback, suggestions, and adaptations are very helpful to other bakers!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Apple Crisp
INGREDIENTS
CRISP TOPPING
- 60 grams (½ cup) all purpose flour
- 56 grams (½ cup) whole wheat flour, or rye flour (ok to substitute all purpose)
- 60 grams (¾ cup) rolled oats, not quick or steel cut oats
- 100 grams (½ cup) brown sugar, light
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, Diamond Crystal
- 113 grams (½ cup; 8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, chilled
STRAWBERRY APPLE FILLING
- 900 grams (2 pounds; approximately 4 large) apples, (Granny smith or other semi-tart, firm baking apples)
- 50 grams (¼ cup) brown sugar, light
- 30 grams (3 Tablespoons) corn starch
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 30 mL (2 Tablespoons) lemon juice
- lemon zest, from ½ lemon
- 454 grams (1 pound) strawberries, hulled and cut into bite sized pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
CRISP TOPPING
- In a large bowl, mix together flours, oats, sugar and salt.60 grams (½ cup) all purpose flour, 56 grams (½ cup) whole wheat flour, 60 grams (¾ cup) rolled oats, 100 grams (½ cup) brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Cube the butter and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, work the butter into the flour. The butter should be incorporated until the mixture forms clumps.113 grams (½ cup; 8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
- Cover bowl and freeze 15 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour.If making ahead, place crisp topping in a zippered storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
STRAWBERRY APPLE FILLING
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177° Celsius, Gas mark 4) with rack in center of oven. Set out a 9 x 13 ceramic casserole dish.
- Peel, core and chop apples into medium pieces. Place apples in a large bowl. I quartered my apples, sliced each quarter into 4-5 lengthwise, and then cut those in half.900 grams (2 pounds; approximately 4 large) apples
- To the apples, add brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until apples are well coated.50 grams (¼ cup) brown sugar, 30 grams (3 Tablespoons) corn starch, 1 pinch kosher salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 30 mL (2 Tablespoons) lemon juice, lemon zest
- Add strawberries and stir gently to blend into the apples and coat with cornstarch mixture. Pour into ceramic dish and distribute evenly.454 grams (1 pound) strawberries
- Pinch bits of the topping mixture between your fingers to make small clumps. Sprinkle clumps of topping all over the fruit to cover it.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until juices are bubbling in middle of crisp and topping is golden brown.
- Place on a rack to cool for 30 minutes (this will allow the juices to thicken).
- Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream, lightly sweetened whipped cream, crème fraîche, yogurt or custard sauce.
EQUIPMENT
- 9 x 13 casserole dish
NOTES
- I use Granny Smith apples. Any semi-tart, firm baking apple such as Braeburn, Jonagold or Golden Delicious will work.
- If your apples are more sweet than tart, you might reduce the sugar by a tablespoon or two.
- Use old fashioned rolled oats, not instant oats or steel cut oats.
- You can replace the whole wheat flour (or rye) with an equal amount of all purpose flour.
- Chilling the crisp topping before baking will ensure that the butter remains cold.
- This will help the topping to crisp up well when baked.
- The crisp is done baking when juices in the middle are bubbling (not just at the edges) and the topping is a nice golden brown color.
- If the top is browning before the fruit is done baking, tent it with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Store leftover crisp in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.
- To freeze leftovers, wrap in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Defrost in the refrigerator prior to serving.
- You can make the crisp topping up to a week in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- You can also freeze the topping for up to 3 months.
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