Desserts

Serving

Desserts Kid-friendly

Mammy's Apple Crisp

Name: Mammy's Apple Crisp
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Desserts
Ingredients: 3 large apples (peeled, cored, and sliced); 1 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened); 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

A simple, old-fashioned apple crisp with a buttery walnut-flour topping baked until golden and tender.

60 minutes

Serves 6

Dessert

21 min prep

33 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy Tree nut Wheat

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Good to know

Crispy

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: crispy recipes

Instructions

6 steps

1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2
Arrange the apple slices evenly in an 8-inch square baking dish.
3
In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and butter. Mix with your hands until small crumbly lumps form.
4
Stir in the chopped walnuts, then sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples.
5
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the topping is lightly browned.
6
Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Mammy's Apple Crisp — plated and served — Serving moment. How Mammy's Apple Crisp looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

74/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 70

Kid-friendly 85

Weeknight-easy 64

Budget-friendly 72

Great leftovers 93

Pantry-friendly 64

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

335

Calories

2 g

Protein

58 g

Carbs

12 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Apple crisp is a distinctly North American dessert that emerged in the early 20th century as a simpler, more forgiving alternative to apple pie, requiring no pastry skills or lard shortening. Early American cookbooks from the 1920s onward feature crumble-topped apple bakes under various names including apple crisp, apple crumble, and apple brown betty, with each region developing its own topping variation. This streamlined version, likely a family recipe passed down under the name 'Mammy's,' uses a short ingredient list that is intentionally minimal, letting the apples carry the dessert.

Listahan note

This version uses only five ingredients and relies on the butter-sugar-flour topping to caramelize into a simple crisp that lets the quality of the apples speak for themselves.

Technique cues

Brown sugar in the topping caramelizes in the oven, creating a toffee-scented crust; granulated sugar would produce a crisper but less flavorful topping that browns without the caramel notes.
The choice of apple variety matters significantly: a firm tart apple like Granny Smith holds its shape during baking, while a Fuji or Honeycrisp softens to a saucier texture; mixing varieties gives both structure and sauce.
The walnuts in the topping provide insulation that prevents the sugar from burning before the apples beneath are fully cooked and tender; they also add a toasty fat layer that makes the crisp easier to spoon out.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Mix the topping by hand while the sliced apples sit in the baking dish; the topping comes together in under 3 minutes.
Make-ahead: Assemble and refrigerate the unbaked crisp up to 8 hours ahead; bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Leftover move: Press leftover crisp into individual ramekins, top with a spoonful of Greek yogurt, and serve as a breakfast parfait the next morning.
Cleanup rhythm: Bake in the same dish you'll serve from; the minimal topping makes this a one-dish dessert with nothing to transfer.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

3 large apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)

primary fruit base

Purpose: Apples provide the sweet-tart filling and release natural pectin as they cook, which thickens the juices into a light sauce without any added starch.

Handling: Slice to an even 1/4-inch thickness so all slices cook to the same tenderness; inconsistent slices leave some raw and some mushy.

Adaptation: Pears work beautifully in the same volume; ripe pears need 5 fewer minutes of baking time than firm apples.

1 cup brown sugar

sweetener for topping and caramelization

Purpose: Brown sugar provides sweetness and, via its molasses content, caramelizes at a lower temperature to form the characteristic golden-brown crisp surface.

Handling: Pack into the measuring cup and combine with flour and butter by hand until the mixture resembles coarse wet sand.

Adaptation: Coconut sugar (same volume) gives a slightly deeper, less sweet result with a mild caramel note.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

topping binder and structure

Purpose: Flour combined with butter and sugar creates the crumble texture of the topping; it absorbs the butter and fuses into a crunchy crust during baking.

Handling: No sifting needed; use the spoon-and-level method to avoid over-measuring.

Adaptation: Oat flour (same volume) adds a mild oat flavor; almond flour gives a nuttier, slightly denser topping.

1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)

fat and cohesion for the topping

Purpose: Butter coats the sugar and flour particles and melts during baking to crisp and bind the topping into a unified crust rather than loose, dry crumbs.

Handling: Soften to room temperature so it can be rubbed evenly into the flour and sugar without leaving large unmixed lumps.

Adaptation: Melted coconut oil (same volume) is a dairy-free option; the topping will be slightly crispier and have a faint coconut note.

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

topping texture and insulation

Purpose: Walnuts add crunch and their fat content slows the topping from burning while the apples soften beneath.

Handling: Chop roughly so the pieces are visible in the finished crisp; fine walnut dust would integrate into the topping and lose the textural contrast.

Adaptation: Pecans or sliced almonds work well; omit entirely for a nut-free crisp and reduce baking time by 5 minutes to avoid over-browning.

Technique notes

Press the topping gently onto the apples rather than mounding it loosely; packed topping crisps more evenly than loose scattered crumbs because it forms a unified crust.
If the topping browns too quickly before the apples are tender, tent loosely with foil and continue baking; the apples need 35-45 minutes total depending on variety and slice thickness.
Serve warm within 30 minutes of baking for the best crisp-to-soft texture contrast; the topping softens as it sits and absorbs steam from the fruit below.

Ingredient swaps

Gluten-free direction: Replace all-purpose flour with oat flour or a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend; the topping texture is very similar.
Dairy-free option: Use melted refined coconut oil in place of softened butter; chill the topping mixture for 10 minutes before spreading so it firms to a spreadable consistency.
Nut-free direction: Omit walnuts and add 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats for texture; the oats provide similar crunch without nut allergen concerns.

Serve alongside

vanilla ice cream melting into the warm crisp
heavy cream poured over the top
sharp cheddar cheese slices on the side in the New England tradition
warm apple cider or spiced cider
black tea or an afternoon coffee

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Store covered in the baking dish at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheat in a 325-degree oven for 10-15 minutes to restore the topping crispness; the microwave works but softens the crisp.
Freezing is not recommended for this simple version as the apple texture becomes watery upon thawing.

Equipment

8x8 or 9-inch round baking dish
apple peeler and corer or chef's knife and vegetable peeler
mixing bowl for topping
pastry cutter or fingers for rubbing topping together

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