Baked Cinnamon Apple Crisp
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The addition of fresh thyme adds a subtle savory note to the otherwise sweet flavor profile of this classic recipe.
Enjoy a bowl of this baked dessert hot from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with a dollop of whipped cream.
For more seasonal food, check out The Ultimate List of Autumn Recipes for the Fall Season! Right-click and open a new tab to read next.

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Cinnamon Apple Crisp
The full ingredients list and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required as well as understand the steps and timings involved.
Apples, to me at least, are the quintessential autumn fruit. I mean, I know that they are available the whole year round, but autumn is the time for all things apple (and pumpkin spice!).
Cooler, darker nights as the fall months arrive means more warming and comfort foods, and this cinnamon apple crisp is a recipe to make that fulfils all of the above.
This dessert is actually gluten-free and refined sugar-free so if these are a concern for you, then you can happily enjoy a bowlful!
And even if they’re not a concern, then you are going to love this apple crisp too. Serve it a la mode with homemade no-churn vanilla ice cream, with whipped cream, or custard (Crème Anglaise) – soooo good!
TIP! Choose firm apples, such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Pink Lady, for this recipe. These varieties will hold up well to the heat of baking without turning to mush.
What’s the Difference Between a Crisp, Crumble, and Cobbler?
Okay, so we go back to the age-old issue on my blog with readers the world over who may call the same dish different names! As a blogger that can be a bit of a nightmare!
Essentially all these desserts are baked with a fruit base and some sort of pastry topping. To me, crisps and crumbles are interchangeable as they have a topping (usually) made with rolled oats, sugar, butter, and flour. I sometimes throw nuts in there too.
For a cobbler, the topping is usually (American) biscuits and peach cobbler is one of my husband’s favorite dessert!

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
You may have some of the ingredients for this recipe in your kitchen already – the full list with measurements is found in the recipe card.
For your convenience, any specialized ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon below.
- Real Maple Syrup – use the 100% real stuff as the lesser versions are topped up with corn syrup
- 100% Apple Juice
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground AllSpice – not a blend of spices as the name implies but a berry from the tropical Pimenta dioica tree, which is a close relative of cloves. If you can’t source it you could use cloves instead.
- Rolled Oats – the old-fashioned kind, not the ready-mix stuff!
- Almond Flour
- Sliced Almonds
- Honey – try and buy local honey if you can
This recipe uses American cups. They’re a handy piece of kitchen equipment to have along with a kitchen food scale. Having both in your kitchen means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog as I use both cups and weighted measures.
The apple crisp is cooked in a square 8-inch/20cm baking pan, but if you have one slightly bigger or smaller it should be fine. You may have to adjust cooking time.
More Recipes Using Apples
One of the hero ingredients in this recipe is of course the apples! Here are some more recipes using the same:
- Caramel Apple Bread Pudding Recipe – an autumnal twist on a classic dessert.
- Apple Pie Layer Cake with Cinnamon Frosting & Walnut Crumble Topping – make this when you are hankering after an apple pie, but also want to eat cake too!
- Jewish Apple Cake Recipe – dairy-Free for Rosh Hashanah

More Dessert Recipes
Looking for more dessert inspo? Check these recipes out next:
- Affogato – a coffee lovers quickest + easiest, dessert ever!
- Paris on Ice – Greek Cypriot gelatin dessert
- Berry Cheesecake Parfaits – a delicious healthy dessert
How Do I Make Cinnamon Apple Crisp?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients, instructions, and demonstration photos. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, the pics don’t print to save your ink!).

Baked Cinnamon Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 6 large apples cored, peeled, and sliced
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup real maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp 100% apple juice sugar-free
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp salt
For the Topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup almonds sliced
- ⅓ c honey
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
To Serve (Optional):
- Vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and grease an 8” x 8” baking dish. Set aside.
- Place apples in a large non-reactive bowl and toss with fresh lemon juice.
- Add maple syrup, apple juice, cinnamon, allspice, thyme leaves, and salt.
- Toss to combine and set aside.
- Combine topping ingredients in a separate bowl and stir until oats are thoroughly coated and all ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
- Pour the apple mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
- Spread the topping evenly across the top in a uniform layer, as well.
- Place into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. If the top layer is nicely browned, cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes or until the apple crisp is nice and bubbling. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve warm with some vanilla bean iced cream or freshly whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Appetizer: Minestrone Soup with Arugula
- Main Dish: One-Pan Lemon & Rosemary Chicken Thighs
- Side Dish: Roasted Apple Cauliflower Mash with Crispy Brussels Sprouts
- Beverage: Apple Cider Margarita
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!