Caramel Apple Almond Crisp

This easy Caramel Apple Almond Crisp is a warm and comforting fall dessert, filled with fresh apple slices, cinnamon, and caramel, and topped with a crisp and buttery almond topping. Enjoy warm with a scoop of ice cream!

An Easy Apple Dessert

This Caramel Apple Crisp was inspired by an apple crisp recipe I used to make while I was in college. Only now, with a few tweaks to my old handwritten recipe card, it’s even better than I remember!

This recipe with caramel and almonds definitely gives my favorite apple crisp a run for the money. The apples are sweetened with the warm richness of caramel, and topped with a bulked-up oats and almond topping that’s crunchy, buttery, and just a little bit saltier than the norm…it’s absolutely irresistible!

It’s quick and easy to put together, a beautiful way to enjoy our fall apple harvest!

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What You’ll Need

Both the caramel apple filling and the almond crisp topping are made with common baking ingredients. Grab some apples and your favorite caramel topping, and let’s get started!

FOR THE APPLE FILLING:

• Apples – You want to use a firm, tart variety for your apple crisp. Granny Smith, Haralson, and Honeycrisp are all great options. They won’t turn to total mush when baked!
• Orange juice – I love what a splash of fresh citrus does for this dish!
• All-purpose flour
• Cinnamon & nutmeg – Warm spices that work well with apple and give that wonderful apple pie taste.
• Caramel topping – You can use any caramel topping you find at the store – this caramel is easy to find and works well.
• Sugar – Just a little sugar is added along with the caramel to sweeten the apple filling.

FOR THE ALMOND CRISP TOPPING:

• All-purpose flour
• Oats – Be sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats, NOT quick cooking oats.
• Brown sugar – I love the warmth of brown sugar!
• Salt
• Baking powder – Just a pinch to help the topping rise a bit. It helps to add that “crunch” to the topping.
• Butter – The butter should be at room temperature but not melted.
• Sliced almonds – Almonds add a subtle taste and texture to the crisp. A beautiful match with apples, cinnamon, and caramel!

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How to Make Caramel Apple Almond Crisp

Crisps are one of my go-to desserts when I need something in a pinch during the fall and winter. They’re so easy to make – and nearly impossible to mess up!

• Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375° F.

• Prepare the apple filling. Sprinkle the apple slices with orange juice. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir into the apples. Transfer the apples to the baking pan and drizzle caramel topping over them.

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• Make the almond crisp topping. Whisk together dry ingredients then cut butter in with a fork until there are pea-size crumbs. Fold in the almonds. Sprinkle topping mixture over the apples.
• Bake. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the apples start to bubble and the top is golden brown.

Tips for Success

A few tips and tricks for the best caramel apple crisp!

• Use a tart, firm apple. When making apple crisp, you want to avoid overly sweet and soft apples as they won’t hold up during baking. I grew up with Haralson and Honeycrisp trees, they’re my favorite. But Granny Smith also works very well.
• Cut in the butter evenly. For a topping that’s buttery and crumbly in every bite, be sure the butter is eventually distributed throughout the entire topping.
• Enjoy warm on the day it’s made. For the true apple crisp experience, I recommend enjoying while it’s still a bit warm from the oven. The apple filling will be luscious with caramel, and the topping will be buttery-fragrant and crisp. (Warm from the oven is best but you can always pop it in the microwave if needed.)

Serving Suggestions

This caramel apple crisp is fabulous when served warm from the oven, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. I love how the ice cream slowly melts into the warm crisp, creating pools of sweetened cream.

If you wanted to add even more decadence, drizzle a little more of that caramel topping over the ice cream!

If your apple crisp has cooled, I do recommend reheating it just a bit in the warm oven or microwave before serving.

How to Store Leftovers

If you’ll be eating it within a few hours, I recommend leaving your caramel apple crisp on the counter, uncovered. Covering it will soften the almond crisp topping faster. If it will be several hours or overnight, cover the apple crisp and place it in the fridge.

Bring it to room temperature and then pop in a warm oven to reheat. If you want to re-crisp the topping, first warm the apple crisp covered, and then place it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the topping.

More Apple Recipes:

• Quick & Easy Apple Bread
• Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
• Apple Peanut Butter Cookies
• Cinnamon Streusel Apple French Toast Cups

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This post was originally published in 2012 and updated in 2021.