Skillet Apple Crisp with Maple and Bacon
By America's Test KitchenPublished on February 24, 2011
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Topping
6 slices bacon (about 6 ounces/170 grams), cut into ¼-inch pieces¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces/106 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour ¾ cup pecans, chopped fine¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (see note)½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) packed light brown sugar ¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon table salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, meltedFilling
3 pounds (1361 grams) Golden Delicious apples (about 7 medium), peeled, cored, halved, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges (see note)⅓ cup maple syrup 1 cup apple cider 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon2 tablespoons unsalted butterBefore You Begin
If your skillet is not oven-safe, prepare the recipe through step 4 and then transfer the filling to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Top the filling as directed and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Serve the apple crisp warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. We like Golden Delicious apples for this recipe, but any sweet, crisp apple, such as Honeycrisp or Braeburn, can be substituted. While rolled oats are preferable in this recipe, quick cooking oats can be substituted.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off bacon fat from skillet and discard. (Do not wash skillet.)
- Combine flour, pecans, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in butter until mixture is thoroughly moistened and crumbly. Stir in bacon. Set aside while preparing fruit filling.
- Toss apples and maple syrup together in large bowl; set aside. Bring cider to simmer in now-empty skillet over medium heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Transfer reduced cider to bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir in lemon juice and set aside.
- Heat butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add apple mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until apples are beginning to soften and become translucent, 12 to 14 minutes. (Do not fully cook apples.) Remove pan from heat and gently stir in cider mixture until apples are coated.
- Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks. Place skillet on baking sheet and bake until fruit is tender and topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes, and serve.
for the topping
for the filling
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Topping
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Topping
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Topping
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Golden Delicious apples won our baking tests because of their ability to maintain their texture and shape. Moving our apple crisp recipe to the stovetop allowed us to stir the apples periodically so they would cook evenly. Plus, the stovetop’s heat drove away extra moisture and allowed the fruit and butter to caramelize and lend a sweet richness to the filling. Sugar, lemon juice, and apple cider gave our skillet apple crisp recipe depth and full-fledged apple flavor. For a topping that did our filling justice, we combined white and brown sugars, added cinnamon, salt, and chopped pecans, and replaced some of the flour with chewy rolled oats. After a few minutes in the oven, the “crisp” was just that.
Before You Begin
If your skillet is not oven-safe, prepare the recipe through step 4 and then transfer the filling to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Top the filling as directed and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Serve the apple crisp warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. We like Golden Delicious apples for this recipe, but any sweet, crisp apple, such as Honeycrisp or Braeburn, can be substituted. While rolled oats are preferable in this recipe, quick cooking oats can be substituted.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off bacon fat from skillet and discard. (Do not wash skillet.)
- Combine flour, pecans, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in butter until mixture is thoroughly moistened and crumbly. Stir in bacon. Set aside while preparing fruit filling.
- Toss apples and maple syrup together in large bowl; set aside. Bring cider to simmer in now-empty skillet over medium heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Transfer reduced cider to bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir in lemon juice and set aside.
- Heat butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add apple mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until apples are beginning to soften and become translucent, 12 to 14 minutes. (Do not fully cook apples.) Remove pan from heat and gently stir in cider mixture until apples are coated.
- Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks. Place skillet on baking sheet and bake until fruit is tender and topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes, and serve.
for the topping
for the filling
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