When I was a child, we had several large apple trees in our backyard, and I was always fascinated by watching the apples grow. I would eagerly look for the sweet-smelling blossoms in the spring, then watch the little apples grow into big apples through the summer. In the fall, my mom harvested the apples and made them into dozens of jars of homemade applesauce. My job (which I loathed) was to pick up all of the rotten fallen apples from around the trees, and I think my mom paid me something like ten cents per bucket of apples that I picked up. As much as I hated picking up all of those apples, I loved that during apple season, my mom would often make a simple apple crisp for dessert. I fondly remember many cold fall nights spent happily eating apple crisp. My mom’s recipe was very simple, and really showcased the sweet apple flavor, with the addition of cinnamon and a buttery crisp oatmeal topping. These mini apple crisps are a homage to one of my favorite desserts from childhood, and even though they aren’t made with home-grown apples (I wish!) they bring back that delicious flavor combination I remember. Best of all, they are so easy to make that you can enjoy them any time!
Mini Apple Crisps
The full recipe is at the bottom of this post, but here’s what you’ll need:
apples flour sugar cinnamon brown sugar oats butter
One of my favorite things about these mini apple crisps is that you can have them in the oven in just minutes! They have only seven simple ingredients, and you can do all the mixing by hand. Start by tossing the apples with the sugar, flour, and cinnamon, then filling up your ramekins with the apple mixture. I used a combination of granny smith and honey crisp apples, but pretty much any apple will work well. If you don’t have ramekins on hand, you could use small oven-safe bowls or mugs, or you could also double the recipe and bake it in a 9 x 9 baking dish.
Next you will mix up the topping, then sprinkle it evenly over the apple filling in the ramekins. You can use a pastry blender or two knives to blend in the butter, or you can do it the easy way (like me!) and just smush it with your fingers. There’s something so satisfying about mixing things with your hands, right?
Transfer the ramekins to a baking sheet, then bake them for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Since the ramekins will be hot, it’s best let them cool a little before serving.
My family loves to top our apple crisps with fresh whipped cream and caramel ice cream topping, but they are totally delicious on their own, too! I love the crisp, buttery topping, in contrast with the sweet and tender apples. Since there’s almost a full apple in each serving, they really let the apple flavor shine, and it’s delicious in combination with the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Desserts are always so much cuter when they are mini-sized! These mini apple crisps are one of my favorite desserts to make each fall, and so fun to serve at a dinner party. I think everyone loves having their own mini dessert to enjoy!
These mini apple crisps are the perfect individual-sized dessert! They take just a few minutes to put together, and bake into a deliciously sweet treat!
