5 Game Changing Apple Crisp Secrets – and the recipe of course!

All I can think about this season is apple crisp. Do you ever get a food/recipe pop into your head and you can’t let it go? Well, the struggle has been real friends. The past two months I have been sick or traveling so this little food bug has been in my ear for some time. I know, what a problem. Finally last week I sat down and tried a recipe online that looked good. One word: disappointment. It wasn’t sweet enough, the apples undercooked, the topping dry.

A true foodie takes this as an opportunity, not a total #pinterestfail. I took a full assessment of what I did wrong, and then googled the ‘best of the best’. I also chatted with some fellow foodies and heard about their secrets to the best apple crisp. There were a few themes in my research. After testing these theories, it was decided that there are five things that really make or break the apple crisp.

Not all of these tricks I’ve come up with are are ingredient based. One thing I love about a good crumble is that you can interchange some of the ingredients. The types of apples, or fruit even. The spice combinations. Hell, I’ve had ones that were gluten free that were just as good. There are a couple ingredients though, ones you might have never thought to go in a apple crisp that takes it to star status.

Along with quality ingredients, a great apple crisp takes skillful prepping skills and some interesting layering methods you didn’t think you needed.

Let’s get to the goods, shall we?

Thinly sliced apples

Last week when I made the crisp, I roughly chopped my apples. What a rookie mistake. Why is a thinly sliced apple so important? According to culinary experts and restaurant critics, when you cook finely cut vegetables or fruit, it allows more surface area to be exposed and an increased reaction with other ingredients in the dish. In this case, sugar and cinnamon.

For the perfect apple crisp I recommend using a super sharp chef knife. I even sharpened mine prior to make sure that the blade could cut super close, aiming for under a quarter inch slices. You can also use a mandolin if you want the layers paper thin.

Citrus zest

I have been using a lot more citrus zest in my baking and cooking, after reading this article by Bon Appetit. It really can enhance a dish, adding brightness and depth. A little can really go a long way. For the recipe I developed, I used the zest of one whole orange. But really, I don’t think it matters what type of citrus you use. If you want more of a fall flavor, I would suggest orange and pair it with nutmeg and allspice. If you are looking for a crisp in the spring, swap out apple for pear and put in some lemon zest and pair with cardamom.

Assorted nuts and seeds

This trick I found in a lot of the ‘best’ recipes online. Some crumbles don’t contain nuts at all, but I really think it’s a necessity. But what really takes it to another level is combining different nuts and seeds. In my recipe I used almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. A light chop of the bigger nuts will also allow more of the surface to get crisp.

Coat with sugar

In my failed attempt at apple crisp earlier this year, I followed a recipe that had the apples tossed in cinnamon and lemon juice. In fact, many of the recipes I’ve found don’t add sugar to the filling. However, the small addition of sugar in between apple layers allows for individual caramelization of the apples as it cooks. This intensifies the recipe’s colour and flavor. The more caramel the better, in my opinion.

Candied Ginger

Lastly, I got this tip from a friend who tried a family recipe that had this magic ingredient. It adds some chewiness and spice to the top layer that you didn’t even think you needed until now. You only need a small amount but a little goes a long way.

If this hasn’t encouraged you enough by now… For the love of god, make this crumble. You can thank me later.