I would love to take full credit for this recipe but it is simply the recipe my mother made year after year when I was growing up. So simple and delicious. I love all apples but my newest favorites are Braeburn and Rome varieties. They are tart and hold up well when cooked. For this recipe, however, I use pure Granny Smith. Tart, tried and true.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- About 3 pounds or 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced, plus 1 lemon, zested for garnish, optional
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) lightly salted butter, cut into cubes, plus 1 tablespoon for baking dish
- Ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Put the apples on a flat surface. Cut the cheeks from the apple, to remove the core. Cut into fairly thin, but not too thin, slices. Put them in a bowl and add the lemon zest and juice and the orange zest and juice. Toss to coat the apples, then add the molasses, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the cinnamon, ginger, and the nutmeg. Toss to blend.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Add the butter to the bowl and break it up with your fingers integrating the flour with the butter. Spread it out on a plate or small baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a shallow rectangular baking dish (approximately 13 inches long and 9 inches wide) with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add the apples and top with the butter-flour mixture. Put the dish in the center of the oven and bake until the apples are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. The topping should be golden brown as well, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a few minutes before serving. To serve, garnish with additional lemon zest and ice cream, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 362 |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 40 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 38 mg |
| Sodium | 412 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 362 |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 40 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 38 mg |
| Sodium | 412 mg |
Reviews
This was awesome! The addition of the molasses and citrus really elevated this dessert!
My husband LOVED this and wouldn’t stop eating it!! I only used 1/2 orange (all I had) and did not add the zested lemon garnish. I used Stamen apples. Will be making again!
I love citrus and thought this would be a huge hit. Unlike others…i liked the molasses. Very interesting. The topping gives enough sweetness for the apples. But the citrus was overpowering. All I seem to be tasting is the orange. I always make a recipe exactly as written the first time and then play around with it. Next time I will use only orange zest and see what the family thinks.
I took this to a large event where there were a few of us asked to bring apple crisps. This was a hit! I was a little gun shy of the lemon for this event so didn’t add it. I had extra large oranges so use only 1/2 but will do the full recipe next time as I really liked it so much and people were asking me for the recipe. I had a feeling that molasses would be delicious with apple crisp so searched online for one and this looked the most interesting. Thanks!
love taste. just got done baking. it smells great. didnt have molasses added honey instead.
This is the best apple crisp that I ever made. The lemon zest, orange zest and molasses make all the difference in the world flavor wise. I also prefer the flour to the oat style crisp. Thanks Alex for sharing this with us!!!!!
I followed this recipe with one exception: I, too, like oatmeal in the crisp topping. Perhaps it’s because I’m accustomed to brown sugar with the apples, but I wasn’t a fan of the molasses and there needed to be more balance between citrus and sweet…too much citrus for me.
I LOVED this recipe. My kids loved it. I have had to make this for 3 nights in a row for my friends and family. This is a KEEPER!!
I did not really care for it. The citrus was overpowering and like other reviewers have said it is not sweet enough. I will continue to look for another recipe.
I really love food network and I love Alex’s recipes but this one was not good !! The molasses and citrus was overpowering. I mean she is a judge on Chopped so maybe she should get the other judges to try this recipe. I could be wrong but it wasn’t sweet enough, and the tart apples with lemon and orange juice is too sour. If I made apple crisp again….it won’t be this recipe. Sorry, I am just being honest. Needs more sweetness if you are going to use granny smith apples.