The Best Classic & Easy Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

Is there any dessert that captures the cozy, comforting spirit of autumn more perfectly than a warm, bubbly, Old-Fashioned Apple and Pear Crisp, fresh from the oven? That heavenly aroma of baked apples, warm spices, and buttery oats is the very essence of the season. If you’re searching for the ultimate, foolproof guide to this timeless classic, you have found it.

This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a celebration of fall’s most beloved fruits. We’ll show you how to create a luscious, jammy filling with a perfect balance of sweet apples and tender pears, all tucked under a thick, buttery, and irresistibly crunchy oat topping. This is the simple, rustic, and show-stopping dessert that is guaranteed to become a new family tradition for years to come.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Fall Comfort Food

What makes this Apple and Pear Crisp the absolute best is its incredible, perfectly balanced flavor profile and its wonderful contrast of textures. The combination of both apples and pears provides a much more complex and interesting fruit flavor than a single-fruit crisp. The topping is a classic, rich, and buttery oat streusel that bakes up to a beautiful golden brown with a satisfyingly crunchy texture. It’s a foolproof, crowd-pleasing dessert that is perfect for a cozy family dinner or as a star on your Thanksgiving dessert table.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	1 hour 15 minutes
Active Prep Time	25 minutes
Difficulty Level	Easy
Servings	12

The Essential Ingredients for a Perfect Crisp

This recipe uses a handful of simple, classic ingredients to let the beautiful seasonal fruit shine.

• The Fruit Duo (Apples & Pears): This is the heart and soul of our crisp. For the best result, you want to use firm varieties of both fruits that will hold their shape during baking and not turn to mush.
  • Apples: A firm, crisp apple like a Macoun, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Granny Smith is a perfect choice. Using a mix of sweet and tart apples is a great way to get a complex flavor.
  • Pears: A firm pear like a Bosc or Anjou is ideal for baking, as they are less watery and will hold their shape beautifully.
• The Flavorings (Citrus & Spices):
  • Orange & Lemon Zest/Juice: This is a brilliant, professional touch! The zest and juice from both a lemon and an orange add a wonderful, bright, and complex citrusy note that perfectly balances the sweetness of the fruit and the richness of the topping.
  • Cinnamon & Nutmeg: The classic, warm, and aromatic spice duo that is the perfect complement to the baked apples and pears.
• The Crunchy Oat Topping: This is what provides the wonderful, buttery crunch.
  • Cold Butter: It is absolutely crucial to use cold, cubed unsalted butter. When you mix the cold butter into the dry ingredients, it creates small, flour-coated pockets of fat. As the crisp bakes, these pockets melt and create steam, resulting in a topping that is wonderfully tender and perfectly crisp.
  • Old-Fashioned Oatmeal: This is what makes a “crisp” a crisp! Old-fashioned rolled oats provide a wonderful, hearty, chewy, and crispy texture.
  • Flour & Sugars: All-purpose flour provides structure, while a mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar creates a balanced sweetness with a hint of deep, molasses flavor.

Step-by-Step to the Best Apple and Pear Crisp

Follow these simple, detailed steps to create this rustic and deeply satisfying dessert.

Part 1: Prepare the Fruit Filling

First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously butter a 9 by 12 by 2-inch oval (or a standard 9×13-inch) baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the 2 pounds of apples and 2 pounds of pears into large, 1- to 1 1/2-inch chunks. Place the fruit in a large mixing bowl.

Add the orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice, lemon juice, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg to the bowl with the fruit.

Toss everything together gently until all the fruit is evenly and thoroughly coated in the sugar and spice mixture.

Pour the fruit filling into your prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer.

Part 2: Make the Buttery Oat Topping

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, the 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, the 3/4 cup of light brown sugar, the 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the 1 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal. Mix on low speed just to combine the dry ingredients.

Add the 1/2 pound (2 sticks) of cold, diced unsalted butter to the bowl.

Mix on low speed for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture comes together into large, crumbly pieces and the butter is about the size of peas.

Pro Tip: Be careful not to overmix the topping. You want to keep those small pieces of butter intact, as that is the secret to a perfectly crisp and tender crumble. If you don’t have a mixer, you can do this by hand with a pastry blender or your fingertips.

Part 3: Assemble and Bake to Perfection

Evenly sprinkle the prepared oat topping mixture over the top of the fruit in the baking dish, making sure to cover the fruit completely from edge to edge.

Place your baking dish on a larger, rimmed baking sheet. This is a crucial step that will catch any potential drips from the bubbling fruit filling and will save your oven from a sticky, burnt-on mess!

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour. You’ll know the crisp is perfectly baked when the fruit filling is hot and bubbling vigorously all around the edges and the oat topping is a beautiful, deep golden brown.

Let the crisp cool on a wire rack for at least 20-30 minutes before serving. This important resting period allows the hot, jammy filling to cool down and set up slightly, making it easier to scoop.

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Serving Your Warm Apple and Pear Crisp

The absolute best way to serve a classic fruit crisp is warm from the oven. The beauty of this dessert is its rustic, home-style presentation, so there’s no need for neat slices. Simply use a large spoon to scoop the warm, bubbly dessert into cozy bowls.

For the ultimate, classic comfort food experience, top each warm scoop of the crisp with a large scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream. The way the cool, creamy ice cream melts into the warm, buttery, and spiced fruit is one of life’s greatest simple pleasures. A dollop of fresh, sweetened whipped cream is also a fantastic choice.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

This Apple and Pear Crisp is a wonderful dessert to have on hand for a sweet treat.

• Make-Ahead: You can prepare the entire oat topping up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container or a zip-top bag in the refrigerator. You can also prepare the entire fruit filling a day in advance and store it, covered, in the baking dish in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, just sprinkle the pre-made topping over the fruit and bake as directed (you may need to add 10-15 minutes to the baking time).
• Storage: Store any leftover crisp, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Reheating: You can enjoy leftovers cold or at room temperature, but it’s best when reheated. You can reheat individual portions in the microwave, or place the entire baking dish back in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, until it is warmed through and the topping has re-crisped.

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Creative Recipe Variations

This incredibly simple crisp recipe is a fantastic base for all sorts of delicious fruit desserts.

1. Add a Nutty Crunch: For a wonderful, buttery crunch and extra texture, you can add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the oat topping mixture along with the flour and sugars.
2. Add a Tart Berry Boost: For a beautiful color and a delicious sweet-tart flavor combination, you can toss in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries along with the apples and pears.
3. Make it Gluten-Free: You can easily make this recipe gluten-free! Simply substitute the all-purpose flour in both the filling and the topping with your favorite gluten-free 1-to-1 baking blend and make sure to use certified gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats.

Enjoy The Ultimate Fall Dessert!

You’ve just created a truly perfect dessert that celebrates the simple beauty of fresh, seasonal fruit. This Apple and Pear Crisp is a timeless classic for a reason: it’s incredibly easy to make, it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and it is the taste of pure, homemade comfort in a bowl. It’s the perfect ending to any meal.

We hope you and your family love every warm, bubbly, and crunchy bite!

If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves an easy fruit dessert!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)