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Turns out, the secret to making a classic apple crisp even better has been in our pantries all along: peanut butter! If you’ve ever enjoyed apple slices with peanut butter, you know what an elite combination this is. It has everything you want from a good apple crisp: a thick, buttery oat crumble, tender jammy apples, and plenty of cinnamon. But what makes you stop in your tracks is the peanut butter. Added to both layers, it creates a delicious nutty, salty-sweet nostalgic flavor. My recipe uses melted butter so the oat topping comes together quickly with a spoon, and you don’t need to pre-cook the apples. Ready in less than an hour, gone in seconds: the perfect fall dessert.
Peanut butter belongs in apple crisp
I’ve tested this recipe both with and without peanut butter, and there’s a clear winner. Here’s why the peanut butter works so well:
- The salty nuttiness balances the sweetness. I find most apple crisps too sweet – and while I could have just reduced the sugar, it felt like a no brainer to use peanut butter, which complements the apple and cinnamon flavors beautifully
- The fat in peanut butter acts like butter but carries extra flavor, and helps create the perfect crispy oat crumble on top
- It adds an extra texture layer: creaminess. The beauty of a crisp lies in the texture contrast between the crispy crumble and soft fruit. Add some creamy peanut butter on top of the apples and the result is quite the experience!
In fact, if you like peanut butter, try making a version of my blueberry crumble or triple berry crisp with this peanut butter oat crumble on top instead. It’s like PB&J!
Want to skip the peanut butter?
If you’re one of the few people who don’t like peanut butter or are accommodating for allergies, you can still make this apple crisp. Omit the peanut butter in the oat crumble, and increase the butter to 3/4 cup (12 tbsp). Make the apple filling as directed, and skip the peanut butter drizzle on top of the apples. Everything else stays the same!
3 quick steps with photos
This recipe needs only 3 quick steps that take 10 minutes of work before the crisp is ready to bake. No need to pre-cook the apples, no need to rub cold butter into the crumble. Here’s how you make it:
1. Make the apple filling
2. Make the peanut butter oat crumble
3. Assemble
That’s it – now you just bake and serve!
Melted butter works perfectly fine
The technically “correct” way of making a crumble or crisp topping is to rub cold butter into the dry ingredients to achieve a craggly, crispy texture. However, I’m always trying to simplify things, and have found that melted butter can give you the same results without the effort. You just need to remember 2 things:
- Don’t overmix. Use a light hand to mix the crumble ingredients until they just come together. Any further handling will start to develop gluten, which we don’t want
- Disperse unevenly. When adding the crumble mixture on top of the apples, use your fingers to break it into little, uneven chunks. A rough look is best here, as that creates more surface area, and more surface area = crispier crumble!
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Ingredients
Apple filling:
- 6 cups peeled and chopped Granny Smith apples (720g, about 4 to 5 medium sized apples)
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour (16g)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed (120g)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Peanut butter oat crumble topping:
- 1 cup flour (130g)
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (120g)
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed (150g)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (140g)
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (60g) – I recommend a creamy peanut butter like Skippy Natural Peanut Butter
Assembly:
- 1/4 cup peanut butter, melted (60g)
Instructions
Apple filling:
- Pre-heat your oven to 375F (conventional / no fan) and grease a 7×11″ baking dish with butter
- Chop the apples into small cubes, similar to the size of blueberries. Add them to a large bowl or directly to your baking dish, along with the flour, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon
- Toss the ingredients together until well combined
Peanut butter oat crumble topping:
- Add the flour, oats, light brown sugar, cinnamon and salt to a bowl and mix them together
- Melt the butter in the microwave in 20 second increments. Add the peanut butter into the butter and stir to combine (if the peanut butter feels too firm, microwave another 10-15 seconds)
- Pour the melted butter and peanut butter on top of the dry ingredients. Use a spoon to mix the ingredients together using a stir and press motion, until they come together. The result should be a thick, crumbly mixture slightly softer than pie dough. Do not over-mix or try to make this smooth
Assembly and baking:
- Transfer the apple filling to your baking dish if you haven’t already. Drizzle over the 1/4 cup of melted peanut butter
- Use your fingers to disperse the oat crumble topping on top of the apples, placing it in chunks of varying sizes. Keeping the crumble layer uneven helps ensure it is very crispy after baking. Let some apples peek through!
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the crumble is golden and crispy, and the apples are jammy and tender (check with a fork!)
- Serve the apple crisp warm on its own or with vanilla ice cream. You can also use plain whipped cream if you want the texture contrast without added sweetness
Video Tutorial
Notes
Type of apples: I recommend Granny Smith apples for this recipe as they have the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, and cook down beautifully. Honeycrisp apples are another good option
- Rolled vs instant oats: I recommend old fashioned rolled oats for the best texture, but if you only have instant oats, you can use them, too
- Baking dish: I recommend baking this crisp in a 7″x11″ ceramic / glass pie dish. This ensures both layers have the ideal thickness, and the ceramic heats up more slowly than metal, allowing the apples to cook through evenly. However, you may use any ceramic/glass dish of comparable size – such as 8″x8″ or 9″x9″. You can also use a 9″x13″ dish but the crisp will be thinner and bake faster (around ~35-40 minutes)
- Make ahead and storage: Because apples oxidize after being cut, it’s best to bake this crisp within a few hours of assembly. After baking, keep it at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave to serve!
