How to Perfect Your Apple Crisp This Fall

It’s officially apple season—and that means it’s also apple crisp season. Though September might be too early in the year for apple crisp’s more formal, buttoned-up relative, apple pie (we’re saving those for Thanksgiving), there’s no reason all that seasonal fruit should go to waste. Crisps (and their oatless counterpart, crumbles) are an ideal, low-maintenance fall dessert. But, just because they’re simple and straightforward, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a few tricks that can turn a very good apple crisp into an excellent one. Here are five of our favorite tips for perfecting this classic fall dessert.

1. Use the right apples

You won’t get very far if you don’t start with the right ingredients. “I love a Granny Smith,” said Food Editor Emily Ziemski, “but any mix of heartier apples (such as Mutsu and Honeycrisp) will hold up nicely to baking.” You’ll want to avoid anything too soft, like a Red Delicious or McIntosh, she added, as those risk disintegrating and becoming mealy during baking. If you’re uncertain, you can’t go wrong with using a mix: Choosing a variety of apple types will yield a range of textures and flavors in each bite, from tart and firm to sweet and jammy.

2. Or, don’t use just apples

According to Jesse Szewczyk, beets—of all things—deserve a spot in your next crisp. “My absolute favorite dessert to add them to is apple crisp because, as it turns out, beets and apples are a perfect match,” he says. “The earthiness of the beets tames the tart bite of the apples, and the sweetness of the fruit highlights the root vegetable's natural sugars.” Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the beets give the dish a vibrant red hue, reminiscent of “crimson lava.”

3. Toast your oats

Think about toasting oats like you’d toast nuts: It brings out all their nutty complexity and gives them a delightfully crunchy texture. All it takes is a 12-minute trip to a 350-degree oven before assembling your streusel topping. “This simple upgrade is all it takes to make an otherwise everyday fruit crisp stand out,” says former Food Editor Emma Laperruque of this brilliantly low-maintenance trick.

4. Choose the right baking vessel

The type of dish you choose to bake your crisp in can have a huge impact on the final product. If you’re a big fan of the pie-filling-esque center, for example, use a smaller, deeper vessel to maximize the juicy, jammy center. If you’re more about the buttery, oat streusel (like me), try baking the crisp directly on a sheet pan for a more generous topping-to-filling ratio. “The apples (or pears or plums) end up more concentrated, since every hunk is touching the hot pan,” says Emma. “And the streusel gets more space to stretch out and become crispy.”

5. Follow a formula

When in doubt, we reach for this simple formula from Sohla El-Waylly. For the filling, use 1,000 grams of fruit, 100 grams of sweetener, and 20 grams of starch (like all-purpose flour or cornstarch). The topping, meanwhile, consists of 1½ cups flour (though you can substitute up to ½ cup of another similarly textured ingredient, such as cocoa powder), ⅔ cup granulated sweetener, ⅔ cup textural mix-in (like oats, nuts, cornflakes, etc.), and 10 tablespoons fat. The best part? This formula works beautifully for a classic apple crisp—but it’s also totally flexible. Use whatever fruit you prefer, or switch it up depending on the season (because crisps are great any time of year).

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How do you make a perfect fruit crisp? Share in the comments!