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side view of a bowl of the best apple crisp ever with cheddar cheese topping

Best Apple Crisp Recipe with Cheddar Cheese

This Best Apple Crisp Recipe combines rolled oats, cheddar cheese, apples, cinnamon, and coconut sugar! Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream. Refined sugar-free and can easily be made gluten-free! 

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple cheddar crisp, apple crisp with oat crumble, best apple crisp recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 450 kcal
Author Kiki Johnson

Ingredients

  • 4 cups apples heaping, 600 g
  • 1/3 cups dried cranberries 60 g
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar, packed 60 g
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

Crisp Topping

  • 3/4 cups rolled oats 60 g
  • 3 tbsp flour 1/4 cup
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar 100 g
  • 1 stick butter frozen in one piece - 113 g
  • 3/4 cups grated cheddar 70 g

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 180C. Mix apple slices and cranberries with lemon juice.

  2. Mix coconut sugar with cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch and add the salt. Toss with the apples and mix using your hands. Add to a square brownie pan (20 cm by 20 cm - 8 x 8 inches).

  3. Mix the first 6 ingredients of the crumble topping. Grate frozen butter directly into the dry mix. Simply grate the butter on the large side of a box grater.

  4. Combine topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs, then add the cheese. Refrigerate until using.

  5. Top apple filling with crisp topping and bake for 30 minutes until the apple juice is bubbling up the sides and in the center and the topping is nice and crisp. 

Recipe Notes

  • Once you’ve tossed the apples into the baking dish, use the same bowl to mix up the cheddar oat crumble topping. Less dishes = always a win! 
  • Simply grate the frozen stick of butter on the large side of a box grater and you’ll be able to make your topping in just minutes.
  • It’s important to give a crisp ample time to bake. I bake it for about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the pan to give the apple slices time to soften and release their juices. Those juices will thicken as they cook, thanks to the added cornstarch. The apple crisp should be bubbling when you take it out of the oven. And not just around the edges, but also in the center.
  • You should not need to cover the apple crisp while it bakes!  If the topping gets overly brown, you could cover it with tin foil until it finishes baking.  
  • Allow the baked apple crisp to rest for at least 10-15 minutes before serving it. This will give the juices in the pan a chance to thicken a little more and the flavor is actually best when eaten lukewarm.
  • Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sour cream.