Quick And Easy Individual Apple Crisps
These individual apple crisps have all the warm, cozy flavors you want in a fall dessert!
Juicy, vanilla-laced apples sweeten with maple syrup are topped with a thick layer of buttery, cinnamon-scented oat almond topping. Serve them warm with a big dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and perhaps a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
It’s a great dessert to make when you are entertaining. Prepare it early in the day, refrigerate, and bake it while you are eating dinner. Bonus: it will make your kitchen smell amazing!
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Small Batch Apple Crisp Recipe
You know those moments when you’re craving something sweet, but the last thing you want is having lots of leftovers? That’s where small-batch desserts come in handy.
Single portion apple crisp is probably my favorite fall treat because it’s so simple to throw together, it takes little hands-on time, it makes enough for three servings, and you can really use any fruit you have on hand.
Apple Crisp Ingredients
You probably have all the ingredients on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Apples – I used Pink Lady, but you can use any apples you have on hand. You need about 3 or 4 medium apples, peeled and chopped into cubes. Feel free to slice the apples, but chopped pieces tend to work better in ramekins. See below for the best apples to use.
- Maple syrup – You need it for both the filling and for the topping. Use real maple syrup, not maple-flavored pancake syrup.
- Cinnamon & vanilla extract: Use vanilla extract in the apple layer and cinnamon in the topping to kick the taste up a notch.
- Salt – It balances out all the sweetness.
- All-purpose flour – It bonds the crumbs together.
- Rolled oats – For a nutty, chewy texture.
- Butter – Melted butter makes for a crunchier crisp.
- Sliced almonds – For added crunch and flavor.
How to make delicious mini apple crisps
- Make the apple filling – In a medium bowl, toss together peeled, cored, and cubed apples along with maple syrup and vanilla extract. Divide the filling among 3 ramekins.
- Make the crumb topping – In another bowl, toss together old-fashioned oats, flour, salt, sliced almonds, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Next, add the melted butter and stir until the butter is well incorporated.
- Assemble – Top the apples with the cinnamon oat topping and bake until the apples are tender.
- Serve – Once it’s ready, let it sit for about 5/10 minutes, then serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. It’s also perfectly delicious on its own.
Recipe Variations
Feel free to experiment and have fun customizing this recipe. Here some suggestions:
- Fruit: The beauty of a crisp is that it works with practically any fruit. Replace the apples with pears, add cranberries, use berries or stone fruits in the summer, rhubarb in spring.
- Spices: Try pumpkin spice or apple pie spice instead of cinnamon.
- Sweetener: Replace the maple syrup with brown sugar, coconut sugar, or honey.
- Nuts: I used sliced almonds to add some crunchy texture to the topping, but you can use whatever type of nuts you have on hand or omit the nuts entirely. Chopped pecans or walnuts are great choices too.
- Make it vegan and/or dairy-free: use vegan butter or coconut oil instead of butter.
- Make it gluten-free: swap the flour for a gluten-free flour blend or almond flour. Make sure you use gluten-free oats too.
How to store, make ahead, and freeze
To store – Individual apple crisps will keep covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Gently rewarm in the oven or microwave. The crumble topping will continue to absorb moisture from the apples as it refrigerates, so it won’t stay crispy, but it is still delicious!
Make ahead – This is a great dessert to make when you are entertaining. You can assemble the apple crisps a few hours in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them.
To freeze – Cover tightly and freeze for up to three months. You can freeze apple crisp either before or after baking. Allow the crisp to thaw first in the fridge before reheating in the oven or microwave.
Apple Crisp FAQ
Look for apples with a firm texture so they don’t turn to mush when baked.
For a sweeter crisp, use Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady.
If you’d like a tarter crisp, use a tart apple like Granny Smith.
It’s up to you! I find apple crisp has the best texture when it’s made with peeled apples.
If you choose to leave the skins on, be sure to wash the apples thoroughly.
The ingredients are very similar, both desserts include baked fresh fruit. The main difference is in the topping: crisps has oats and crumbles doesn’t. However, these days the names are used interchangeably.
This apple recipes are a must-try!
Single Serving Apple Crisps
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 3 medium apples peeled, cored and cubed
- 2 tablespoons (40 ml) maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crumble topping:
- ½ cup (45 g) rolled oats
- ¼ cup + ½ tablespoon (35 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (18 g) sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons (40 g) unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons (40 ml) maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place 3 ramekins on a baking sheet.
Make the fruit filling
- In a medium bowl, toss the cubed apples with the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Divide the apple mixture evenly between the ramekins.(You can fill them all the way to the top – they will sink down when baking)
Make the crisp topping
- Place the the oats, almonds, cinnamon, flour, salt and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix well to combine.Spoon the crumble topping onto the fruit, making sure it’s even.
Bake and serve
- Bake for 25/30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the apples are soft and easily pierced with a skewer.
- Serve them warm with whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired and a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, if you like
Notes
- Ramekins – I used 8-ounce ones for these apple crisps. They are the perfect size for this recipe and everything fits perfectly into them. If you use 6-ounce ramekins, I guess you can get 4 portions (and each portion will have less calories – 306 calories instead of 409 )
- Apples: For a sweeter crisp, use Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady. If you’d like a tarter crisp, use a tart apple like Granny Smith.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Substitute gluten-free rolled oats and gluten-free flour.
- Make it Dairy-Free/Vegan: Substitute coconut oil instead of butter.
- Storage: store any leftover covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Gently rewarm in the oven or microwave
- To freeze – You can freeze apple crisp either before or after baking. Cover tightly and freeze for up to three months.
