Caramel Apple Crisp with Easy Caramel Sauce is a decadent and delicious gluten free dessert recipe. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream!
Fall is in the air and there’s no sweeter way to celebrate then with Caramel Apple Crisp with Easy Caramel Sauce!
This easy yet impressive gluten free dessert recipe takes the Classic Apple Crisp we all know and love, and laces it with an easy homemade caramel sauce. You know what we call that?
An upgrade!
Watch How to Make It!
Caramel Apple Crisp
I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love apple crisp. Cinnamon-spiced apples blanketed under crisp topping then baked until golden brown and bubbly are high on the list of best comfort foods of all time.
Add homemade, 4-ingredient caramel sauce and this fall-inspired dessert is going to send you into overdrive.
The inspiration for this dessert came from a recipe for Caramel Apple Bars that I made every fall when I lived in Minneapolis in my 20s.
Probably because the average temperature there is somewhere around negative 75 from October through May and I needed something warm to hunker down with. Anyway, it got filed away in a 3-ring binder and hadn’t see the light of day in nearly a decade when I recently unearthed it from a dark cupboard.
I attempted to make it with all gluten free ingredients and it was complete miss. This recipe however, is a total win. Pencil it into your fall, gluten free dessert plans ASAP!
Step 1: Make the Homemade Caramel Sauce
In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat add 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup half & half, 4 Tablespoons butter, and a dash of salt.
Cook the sauce while stirring gently until thickened, 10-12 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract. Set the caramel sauce aside to cool slightly.
Feel free to make the caramel sauce up to 5 days ahead of time. Store it in the refrigerator then warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or so before using.
Step 2: Make the Crisp Topping
To a large mixing bowl add 3/4 cup certified gluten-free old fashioned oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup gluten-free flour baking blend, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 6 Tablespoons butter then use your fingertips to combine and set aside.
Step 3: Make the Apple Filling
Peel and slice 4 Granny Smith Apples then toss with 1 Tablespoon gluten-free flour baking blend and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a large mixing bowl until coated.
You can use whatever apples you have on hand, but I like tart Granny Smith Apples for baking because they cut the sweetness of the caramel sauce, and always hold up well in the oven.
Transfer the apples to a nonstick-sprayed baking dish then drizzle 1/2 the Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce on top (about 1/2 cup.)
Step 4: Bake
Sprinkle the crisp topping on top then bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the caramel sauce is bubbly.
- Tip: If the crisp topping starts to brown too early, gently place a sheet of foil on top and keep baking — no need to crimp it or anything.
Let the crisp cool for 20 minutes to an hour then scoop into dishes, drizzle the reserved caramel sauce on top, and devour.
Since the caramel sauce is sweet, I backed off on the sugar in the crisp topping, so this dessert isn’t tooth-achingly sweet. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a DESSERT, but the crunchy, roasty nuts and oats really balance out all the flavors.
If you went to the apple orchard recently, or have plans to go this weekend, be certain to save some of your pickings for this fabulous fall treat!
More Apple Desserts to Love
- Classic Apple Crisp
- Stovetop Apple Crisp for Two
- Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip
- Baked Apple Chips
Ingredients
- 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled then thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup gluten free baking flour blend WITH binder, divided
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup certified gluten free old fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- dash of salt
- 6 Tablespoons butter, cut into pats
For the Easy Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- dash of salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
Directions
For the Easy Caramel Sauce:
- Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir slowly until caramel has thickened, 10-12 minutes. Remove pan from heat then stir in vanilla and let cool slightly. Can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. Warm for 30 seconds in the microwave before using.
For the Apple Crisp:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees then spray a medium-sized baking dish (like 8x8" or 10x7") with nonstick spray. Add apple slices to a large bowl then toss with cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon flour until well coated. Transfer to prepared baking dish then drizzle 1/2 cup prepared Easy Caramel Sauce on top.
- Combine oats, brown sugar, chopped pecans, remaining 1/4 cup flour, salt, and butter in the bowl then use your fingertips to combine mixture until crumbly. Top caramel apples with crisp then bake for 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender and caramel is bubbly. NOTE: If crisp topping begins to brown before apples are tender, place a piece of foil on top (no need to crimp) then continue baking.
- Allow Caramel Apple Crisp to cool for 20 minutes — 1 hour before scooping into bowls then topping with reserved Easy Caramel Sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fisher. The opinions and text are all mine.
When I saw the photo I got so excited! I love appley desserts and crumbly toppings so much. I made this and it is truly FANTASTIC. It is my favourite and I am gonna make it for Christmas dinner dessert. Thank you for a perfect recipe. I used wholemeal flour instead of gluten free. The butterscotch sauce is superb beyond words! Ha, I really love it.
May I ask if you used salted butter or unsalted butter for this recipe? I always end up with butter floating on top of my caramel sauce in the fridge.
Hi Angie! I think I used salted, though either would work!
The apple crisp (or crumble where we Brits come from) in the nicest dessert on planet earth. FACT!
My family and I loved this!!! Scrumptious! I also wanted to let you know I shared the recipe on my site, justbitsandpieces.com, as part of a 30-day gratitude challenge I am doing. This recipe was the taste I was grateful for during the challenge! I gave all the credit to you and your website with links to your page and this recipe!! Thanks for sharing such a great gluten free recipe!! ♥R
Thank you so much, Robyn – you are too kind!
This is literally the best gluten free dessert I have eaten in the six years of being gluten free! It tastes just like the homemade caramel rolls my grandma would get for Easter morning plus the deliciousness of the apples. An absolute home run!
That is SO great to hear, Molly! I’m so, so glad you loved it! :D
I literally sat in front of the stove (un)patiently waiting for this dish to come out of the oven! It was worth the wait. An amazing restaurant-quality dessert!
Hahaha, definitely been there done that! ;) So glad you enjoyed!
This is perfect! I have *exactly* 1/4 cup plus 6 teaspoons of gluten free flour blend, so I can make this with a teeny tiny bit of flour left over (I guess it’s time to buy more! :) ) Thank you for a very good gluten free recipe!
I quadrupled this recipe for a big family get together tomorrow. So far I’ve had the caramel sauce at a slow boil for two HOURS and ten minutes…and it hasn’t thickened! Apparently this is one of those recipes you can’t expand. Sad waste of time and money.
Same! I was looking through the. comments who said their sauce didn’t thicken. I doubled the recipe and it is super thin. Hoping it thickens as it cools. I know other recipes melt the sugar in the pan before adding the liquid. Might try that next time.
Kristen -I want to make this for Thanksgiving. Is this recipe easily doubled to serve 12?
It could probably work n a 9×13″, or you could try two 8×8″ pans (you could use the disposable aluminum ones if you don’t have two pyrex dishes!)
Ok, making this RIGHT NOW!
Also- have you tried Trader Joe’s salted caramel?? It is AMAZING- not to mention gluten free and corn-syrup free. I’m obsessed. (It’s labeled “Trader Jacques’ Fleur de Sel”). Seriously THE BEST!! And less than $4!
Thanks for the great recipes! I have your chicken wild rice soup in the crockpot right now. :)
Hi my mum is a coeliac, so I am always on the look out for gluten free dishes I can cook when she stays with us.
While this dish looks delicious I was curious when I picture with what looked like oats was labeled gluten free. As I was always told oats were not gluten free.
So I did a search and found the following post regarding gluten in oats:http://www.harraways.co.nz/healthy-living/hf-gluten.html
It would seem 1 in 5 coeliacs will react to oats, and that is a risk I’m not willing to take with my mother.
I have Celiac Disease too so I definitely understand your concern. The risk isn’t the oats themselves (they are naturally gluten-free,) but how they’re grown and/or processed. I use Trader Joe’s gluten-free oats that are grown and processed in dedicated fields and facilities and don’t have any issues. I have tried Bob’s Red Mill GF Oats in the past and had a mild reaction – likely because cross contamination was happening in the fields. All that to say, in my experience, it depends on how sensitive you are and which brand of certified gluten-free oats you are using.
I’m guessing you didn’t read the link.
“Gluten is the name given to the protein in wheat, rye, barley and oats that affect people with Coeliac disease. It is a composite name representing –
Gliadin in Wheat
Hordein in Barley
Secalin in Rye
Avenin in Oats
The current tests for gluten can measure gliadin, hordein, and secalin but not avenin as it is a slightly different protein.
So when people discuss gluten free oats (and laboratories advise that oats are gluten free) what should be said is that they are free from wheat (and rye, barley) gliadin i.e. there is no measurable contamination.
Very interesting! I’ve never heard of avenin but did some research last night after reading the information in your link. From the sources I checked it seems researchers can’t definitively say say one way or another – Celiacs should or should not eat oats. In a nutshell, some studies find certified GF oats to have no effect on Celiacs, while others say they might trigger symptoms. So, this one for me boils down to personal preference. Like I said, I don’t have a reaction to Trader Joe’s oats, so I’ll continue to eat them but everyone should of course make that call for themselves!
I will have to try this for my dad. He adores apple deserts. It looks delicious.
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
Is the caramel sauce thick enough to use as just an apple dip too? Or more of a drizzle sauce?
Definitely! It will thicken up as it cools (not as thick as the big tubs of caramel dip, but for a sauce, yep, it thickens up nicely.) :)