Cardamom-Spiced Apple Crisp (Printable)

Tender spiced apples beneath a fragrant oat and almond crumble with a warm, buttery touch.

# What You Need:

→ Apple Filling

01 - 6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
03 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
07 - 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
08 - Pinch of salt

→ Crumble Topping

09 - 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
10 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
11 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
12 - 1/3 cup sliced almonds
13 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
14 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch baking dish.
02 - In a large bowl, toss sliced apples with lemon juice, granulated sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and salt until evenly coated. Spread mixture in prepared baking dish.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, almonds, cardamom, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and use fingers or pastry blender to mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
04 - Sprinkle crumble mixture evenly over apples.
05 - Bake for 40 minutes until topping is golden brown and apples are bubbling at edges.
06 - Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, optionally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The cardamom transforms ordinary apples into something unexpectedly sophisticated, turning a simple dessert into a conversation starter.
  • It comes together in under an hour, making it perfect for those moments when you want homemade magic without spending your whole evening cooking.
  • The buttery oat crumble stays crispy even as the apples bubble beneath it, giving you texture that doesn't get soggy.
02 -
  • Cardamom is expensive and loses its magic quickly once ground, so buy whole pods and grind them yourself in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle if you want the full aromatic effect.
  • The cold butter is what separates a crispy crumble from a dense one, so resist the urge to use softened butter or to overwork the mixture into a paste.
03 -
  • Toast your almonds briefly in a dry skillet before adding them to the crumble topping, as this deepens their flavor and adds a subtle nuttiness that ties the whole dessert together.
  • If your apples release more liquid than expected during baking, simply pour some off halfway through rather than letting everything get soggy, then return it to the oven.
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