Our homey-as-can-be Extreme Caramel Apple Crisp is a warm, fruit-filled dessert that literally shouts comfort. Serve as is or, with the contrast of vanilla ice cream, it's a flavor combo made in heaven.
Cooking Time: 35 min
- 2 (16-ounce) bags frozen sliced apples
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 20 caramel candies, unwrapped
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons cream
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine apples, 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch, cinnamon, and caramels; mix well then pour into baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the salt, butter, and cream; mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over apple mixture.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly and top is golden.
- In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle over crumb topping and let cool slightly.
- Place melted chocolate in a plastic zipper bag, cut off corner, and squeeze to drizzle.
- You can use 2 (20-ounce) cans sliced apples, drained, instead of frozen sliced apples, if you prefer. But if you do buy frozen apples, depending on the brand, the package size will vary, which is not a problem.
COBBLERS, CRISPS, CRUMBLES & MORE
One of the main differences between our favorite warm fruit-filled cobblers, crisps and crumbles is the type of topping and its texture. It’s important to choose the correct fruit for baking cobblers, crisps and crumbles. Ripe fruit will be the sweetest, and frozen fruits can be used when in-season fruits are not available.
Cobbler – deep-dish fruit pie that's sweetened, sometimes spiced, and features sliced fruit or berries topped with a crust, typically biscuit, and baked until bubbly
Crumble – sweetened, sometimes spiced, sliced fruit or berries topped with a streusel made from flour, sugar, butter, spices, and chopped nuts to form a crumbly topping
Crisp – sweetened fruit covered with a crumbly topping of flour, sugar, butter, spices and sometimes other ingredients such as rolled oats and nuts
Buckle – a combination of a crumble and a coffee cake that's a cake batter dotted with fruit and sprinkled with streusel topping
Slump – sweetened fruit topped with dollops of dough and cooked on the stovetop, usually served with heavy cream
Grunt – similar to a slump, but prepared by steaming the entire baking dish in a container of simmering water
Betty – a baked pudding consisting of alternating layers of sugared, spiced fruit and buttered bread crumbs with a bit of fruit juice to moisten it. Baked until brown and crisp on top.
– sliced or cut apples or other fruits tossed with spices and butter, sweetened with molasses or brown sugar, topped with a biscuit-like dough and baked. Partway through the baking time, the crust is broken up and pressed down into the fruit so it can absorb the juices. This technique is known as “dowdying.”