This delicious caramel apple crisp with pecans and raisins is warm and comforting. Made with perfectly cooked tender apples, pecans, raisins, and a crunchy oat topping covered in caramel sauce. And it's absolutely delicious with or without ice cream!
All my favorite apple recipes inspired this apple pecan crisp! From my air fryer apples to air fryer baked apples and apple wraps! Sweet apples are simply the BEST!
Enjoy this apple crisp with any of these amazing fall coffee recipes. If you love caramel recipes, try out our Caramel Desserts post!
Why You Will Love This Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe
- Wonderful Flavor: The warm, sweet taste of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg paired with tender apples provides a comforting homemade feeling.
- Versatile: Enjoy it as a dessert, breakfast treat, or even a snack. It's delicious any time of the day.
- Crowd-Pleaser: Whether for family or an event, everyone enjoys this classic dessert all year long.
Ingredients
It only takes a few ingredients to make this delicious caramel apple pecan raisin crisp. The best part is that if you do any amount of baking at all, you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry right this second.
- Apples: Your choice of apples can make or break your apple crisp. For baking, you want apples that hold their shape and offer a balance of sweet and tart flavors. Varieties such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Braeburn are excellent choices, which should be peeled, cored, and sliced.
- Quick Oats: The base of the topping!
- Flour: Gives the topping some structure and absorbs excess moisture.
- Brown sugar: Adds a hint of molasses and moisture to the topping.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves: Adds flavor and warmth to complement apples, raisins, and pecans.
- Butter: For more richness and flavor. Make sure it's chilled and cubed.
- Apple Juice or Apple Cider: Adds flavor and moisture.
- Caramel Sauce: The salty sweet flavors really take this dessert over the top!
- Pecans or Walnuts: For added crunch.
- Raisins: For added sweetness. You can leave them out if you aren't a fan.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Variations
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this Apple Raisin Crisp recipe.
- Change The Fruit: Instead of apples, you can use berries, pears, peaches, nectarines, rhubarb, or any combination of these fruits.
- Cranberries: Swap the raisins for tart cranberries.
How to Make a Caramel Apple Crisp
Here's a look at the steps for making this easy apple crisp! It takes just a few minutes to assemble.
Step 1: Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Cut in the cold butter until crumbly. Add the pecans or walnuts and mix them in.
Step 3: Peel and thinly slice apples and sprinkle with a light dusting of cinnamon.
Step 4: Press one-third of the oat mixture into a prepared pan. Top with half of the sliced apples, sprinkle the raisins on top, and half of the caramel sauce.
Step 5: Add another third of the oat mixture on top of the apples.
Step 6: Layer the remaining apples, raisins, and the rest of the caramel sauce.
Step 7: Top with the remaining oat mixture. Pour a ¼ cup of the apple juice or cider all across the top.
Step 8: Bake in the oven. Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and more caramel sauce.
⭐️ Hint: Bake until the topping is golden and the apple juices are bubbly. Cover with foil if the apples need more time to soften without over-browning the top.
If you love recipes like this apple crisp, you may also enjoy our Crunchy Apple Bake.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Cover leftovers with aluminum foil or plastic wrap after fully cooled and store in your fridge for up to 3 days, including the day you made it. You can also freeze it for up to three months.
- Reheat: If you have a piece of apple crisp and want to enjoy it warm, microwave it for 30-60 seconds. You can also reheat the whole dessert or part in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 15-20 minutes to maintain its crispy topping. If frozen, thaw it out in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Make Ahead: Assemble it ahead of time and refrigerate until needed. Allow the dish to rest on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature before baking.
What to Serve with Apple Crisp
- Ice Cream: For a classic combination, serve your apple crisp warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or your favorite flavor. We love it with this rhubarb ice cream!
- Whipped Cream: A dollop of whipped cream adds a sweet, creamy texture that complements the spice of the apples.
- Cheddar Cheese: A slice of sharp cheddar cheese alongside your apple crisp is a traditional pairing that balances the sweetness with a savory note.
- Caramel Sauce: Drizzle extra caramel sauce over the top for more caramel flavor.
- Yogurt: For a healthier option, consider a spoonful of Greek yogurt for a tangy twist.
- Garnish: Add a sprinkling of cinnamon or powdered sugar over the crisp that looks and tastes great.
- Serve Warm: Always serve your apple crisp warm to ensure the topping remains crispy and to maximize the aroma and flavor of the baked apples.
Recipe Tips
- Don't Press Down. As you layer the apple crisp do not press down on the apples or oat mixture.
- Preheat the Oven. This ensures even cooking.
- Use Cold Butter. Make sure the butter is cold when added to the oat mixture so that it forms clumps.
- Use Your Hands. It's easier to use your hands to blend the butter with the oat mixture.
- Don't Over-Brown the Top. Cover with foil if the apples need more time to soften without over-browning or burning the top.
- Cool Just Slightly. It's so good to enjoy this crisp warm but allow your apple crisp to cool slightly before serving to allow the flavors to meld together and the crisp to set for easier serving.
Recipe FAQs
For a flavorful apple crisp, use firm and tart apples such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn. These apples retain their shape during baking and have a tart flavor that balances well with the sweet topping.
Watch How to Make It
Other Delicious Apple Recipes to Try
For the love of apples, here are several apple dishes you might be interested in trying. From pancakes to bread and even pudding, all of these apple recipes are absolutely delicious. Truly, I love them all, and I think you will, too!
The secret ingredient in all of these apple desserts is brown sugar. We just love anything with brown sugar in it. If you have that kind of love for it, then be sure to check out our list of brown sugar dessert recipes. I know you won't regret it!
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Best Caramel Apple Crisp
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 apples apples, granny smith or your favorite apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground + extra to sprinkle on apples if desired
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ cup butter, cold, cubed
- 1 cup caramel sauce, store-bought or 10-20 caramels, quartered
- ¼ cup apple juice or cider
- ½ cup raisins (optional)
- ½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
- butter or cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cake or baking pan (11 x 7) with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
- Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Sprinkle apples with a light dusting of cinnamon if desired. I always do.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Stir until blended.
- Cut in the cold butter until crumbly by using two forks or your fingers to do it.
- Add pecans or walnuts, if desired.
- Add about one third of the oat mixture across the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the sliced apples. Sprinkle with raisins, if using. Half of the caramels or caramel sauce.
- Repeat. Add another third of oat mixture. Layer the remaining apples. Add raisins and remaining caramel sauce or caramels.
- Top with remaining oats and pour a ¼ cup of apple juice or cider all across the top of the apple crisp.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until apples are tender.
- The thinner the apples are sliced the better and quicker this will cook. Depending on the apples and the time of year, this apple crisp may take 10 minutes longer to cook.
- Remove from the oven and serve on individual plates or in bowls.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or more caramel sauce. Enjoy every bite!
Notes
- Don't Press Down. As you layer the apple crisp do not press down on the apples or oat mixture.
- Preheat the Oven. This ensures even cooking.
- Use Cold Butter. Make sure the butter is cold when added to the oat mixture so that it forms clumps.
- Use Your Hands. It's easier to use your hands to blend the butter with the oat mixture.
- Don't Over-Brown the Top. Cover with foil if the apples need more time to soften without over-browning or burning the top.
- Cool Just Slightly. It's so good to enjoy this crisp warm but allow your apple crisp to cool slightly before serving to allow the flavors to meld together and the crisp to set for easier serving.
Nutrition
This post was originally published February 2016. It has been updated with new images and content.
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