Dessert

Salted Caramel Apple Crisp

Soft cinnamon apples under a buttery oat topping, with salted caramel running through it.

Prep 10 min LOW 4 hours HIGH 2½–3 hours Serves 8

Salted Caramel Apple Crisp, finished and plated — Serving suggestion

Apple crisp is the easiest of the great American desserts — no crust, no lattice, no chilling dough. Fruit on the bottom, something crunchy on top.

The slow cooker version has one weakness: steam. A covered pot full of apples produces a lot of moisture, and moisture is the enemy of a crisp topping. Two fixes handle it. A paper towel under the lid catches the condensation, and taking the lid off for the last twenty minutes lets the top actually crisp.

The salt matters. Salted caramel without enough salt is just caramel, and this packet carries three grams of fine sea salt for exactly that reason.

Why you'll love it

No crust, no rolling, no chilling.

The easiest real dessert there is.

Your kitchen will smell incredible.

Cinnamon and apples for three hours.

Salted caramel, properly salted.

Enough salt to actually balance the sugar.

Works for breakfast too.

Nobody has to know.

What's already in the packet

Brown sugar powderRolled oatsGranulated sugarAll-purpose flourCaramel powderButter powderCinnamonCornstarchFine sea saltVanilla powderNutmeg

Rolled oats and butter powder form the crisp topping. Caramel powder and real salt do the rest.

Choose your setting

Recommended

LOW · 4 hours

Low and slow gives collagen time to melt and flavors time to build. It is the setting this recipe was written for.

HIGH · 2½–3 hours

For when you started late. It gets dinner done, but the texture is better on LOW.

Done when

Apples pierce easily and the topping is dry and golden after the lid comes off.

You'll Need

1 packet Cook SLO Salted Caramel Apple Crisp
8 cups Apples, peeled and sliced
½ cup Butter, cut into small pieces

What you add

8 cups

Apples, peeled and sliced

½ cup

Cold butter, in pieces

Desserts cook on HIGH. Paper towel under the lid

Toppings & mix-ins

Vanilla ice creamWhipped creamChopped pecansExtra caramel sauceFlaky saltCinnamon

Warm crisp and cold vanilla ice cream is the classic pairing and it's hard to improve on.

Before anything goes in the pot

1
Toss the apples in a bag
Peeled and sliced apples with half the packet, in a gallon zip bag, shaken. Coats every slice evenly and stops them browning while you get the rest ready.

These happen outside the crock pot, before it's switched on.

Tonight's Plan

1
Put the sliced apples in the crock pot.
Peeled and sliced about a quarter inch thick.
2
Sprinkle about half the packet over the apples and stir to coat.
This half seasons and thickens the fruit.
3
Sprinkle the rest of the packet evenly over the top and don't stir it in.
This half becomes the crisp topping. It has to stay on top.
4
Scatter the butter pieces across the top and put the lid on.
Lay a paper towel under the lid to catch steam.

Right before you serve

Finishing touches

Take the lid off for the last 20 minutes.

This is what crisps the topping. Leave it on and the top stays soft.

Let it stand 10 minutes, then spoon into bowls.

It's molten straight from the pot.

Stirring

Do not stir once the lid is on

Cakes, cobblers and puddings set in layers. Stirring collapses the separation between the cake and the sauce underneath, and you end up with one uniform wet layer instead of two good ones.

Swaps and add-ins

Use firm apples.

Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Braeburn. Soft apples like Red Delicious turn to sauce.

Add pecans.

Half a cup with the topping. Extra crunch.

Mix apple varieties.

Half tart, half sweet. More interesting than one kind.

Add cranberries.

A cup of fresh cranberries with the apples for a holiday version.

Tips for success

Paper towel under the lid. Apples release enormous amounts of steam. Without the towel it rains onto your topping.
Lid off for the last 20 minutes. The single step that separates a crisp from a mush.
Firm apples only. Soft varieties collapse into applesauce over three hours.
Drop in a liner before anything else. Smooth it against the sides and fold the edges over the rim. When you're done, lift it out and throw it away — the crock never needs scrubbing.

Finish it right

Vanilla ice cream, immediately.

Hot crisp and cold ice cream. This is the correct way to eat it and there is no substitute.

A pinch of flaky salt over the top.

It's salted caramel. Finishing salt doubles down on what makes it good.

A drizzle of warm caramel sauce.

If you have a jar, this is the moment.

Serve it over

Warm with vanilla ice creamWith whipped cream and pecansOver pancakes for breakfastOn its own, warm

Tomorrow night

Apple crisp parfaits.

Layered with yogurt and granola for breakfast.

Over oatmeal.

Spooned onto hot oatmeal. Genuinely excellent.

Apple crisp milkshake.

Blended with vanilla ice cream and milk.

On waffles.

With whipped cream. Dessert for breakfast.

Keeping it

Fridge

Covered, up to 3 days. The topping softens.

Freezer

2 months, though the topping loses its crunch.

Reheating

Oven at 350°F for 10 minutes re-crisps the top. The microwave doesn't.

Questions people ask

Recipe card