This Skillet Apple Crisp is baked in a cast iron skillet with a crunchy oat topping over spiced Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples. Ready in under an hour and perfect for fall, Thanksgiving, or any night you want a warm dessert the whole family will love.
Core, peel, and slice apples into bite size pieces. Using an apple-core-peeler tool will make quick work of this process, then slice the rings into quarters and place them in a large bowl.
Toss the apples with the salt, apple pie spice blend, a tablespoon of flour, and granulated white sugar.
Once the apples have been coated press them into a cast iron skillet, smoothing it out as much as possible.
Add brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a medium bowl and mix it all together.
Slowly pour the melted butter and moisten the oat mixture. Alternatively, using a pastry cutter, a solid stick of butter can be incorporated into the oat mixture.
Spoon the buttery oats over the apples in the skillet, filling any nooks and crannies. If an extra buttery crisp is desired, place slices of butter all over the top of the crisp.
Bake the apple crisp uncovered for 40 minutes or until topping has browned and apples have soften. The cooking time may take less time or longer depending on how thick or thin the apple slices were cut.
Once baked, remove from the oven and serve immediately, as it is best served warm.
Outdoor Camp Oven
Heat coals in a charcoal chimney. Once hot, place 12 coals on bottom (camp table, fire pit, etc).
Nestle camp oven on top of the coals.
Apple crisp directions (see above.)
Cover with the camp oven lid.Place heated coals over the entire lid.
Check for doneness by using a lid lifter, if not done, cook up to an additional 15 minutes.
When done, remove from coals and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Notes
Use a mix of tart and sweet apples for the best flavor. All one variety makes the filling one-dimensional.
Old fashioned rolled oats are required. Instant oats will make the topping mushy.
Dark brown sugar gives a deeper molasses flavor; light brown sugar works but is milder.
Pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for apple pie spice.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat at 350F for 15 minutes to re-crisp the topping.
Use a trivet or hot pad when serving. The cast iron skillet will be extremely hot.