Salted Caramel Pecan Apple Crisp is full of juicy apples, sweet-salty caramel, Fall spices, and a crisp, nutty, pecan filled topping. It’s your personal serving of Autumn in a bowl!
Is salted caramel still a thing? Does the food-o-sphere still crave it? If not, then this recipe for Salted Caramel Pecan Apple Crisp is sure to turn that around.
I kid you not.
This recipe is full of juicy apples, sweet-salty caramel, Fall spices, and a crisp, nutty, pecan filled topping. It’s your personal serving of Autumn in a bowl, all featuring salted caramel and perfectly portioned for two to enjoy!
Growing up in New York State, I ate a lot of apples. And this time of year always has me craving apples. But the apples I get here in Texas just can’t measure up the apples from my home state.
New York simply produces the best, tastiest apples. There are even week-long events all across the state celebrating the Fall apple season and apple picking is an Autumn family tradition in almost every New York family. Heck, New York is even called The Big Apple. They’re crazy about their apples.
My love for NEW YORK apples is so great that last year, when a friend of mine was visiting from New York she brought my a peck of apples (yes, that’s a thing) when she came to visit Austin. Because, yea, New York State apples are that good. Nothing compares.
My inspiration for Salted Caramel Pecan Apple Crisp came from my love of apples as well as the love of my Mom’s Dutch Apple Pie — a traditional apple pie topped with an apple-crisp like topping. It’s a pie I grew up eating and really miss once the cooler Fall weather hits.
Although I love my Mom’s apple pie, I hate making pie crust and definitely didn’t want a whole pie on hand, so I modified Mom’s crumb topping recipe to perfectly fit a two-person serving size and nixed the pie crust, thusly landing on an apple crisp dish!
Since I’m also a big fan of texture and crunch, I threw it a few tablespoons of oats and chopped pecans to round out the Fall flavors and add some depth to the Salted Caramel Pecan Apple Crisp.
As I moved on to make the apple filling, I realized I was out of brown sugar which is traditionally used when assembling apple fillings. I decided to substitute the caramel sauce I had on hand — adding a pinch of salt to bring in the salty-sweet flavors I typically crave.
Best. Decision. Ever.
When baked, the caramel sauce mixes with the juice of the apples, creating a deliciously sweet syrup. The apples bake themselves in the syrup while the crumb topping turns golden brown and crisp. The nuts in the topping toast as they bake in the oven, adding an extra nutty, warm flavor to the Salted Caramel Pecan Apple Crisp.
To finish this dish, I served it warm with an extra drizzle of caramel sauce and a pinch of course sea salt. If I had a little vanilla ice cream on hand, you can bet there’d be a smidgen melting on top!
This dessert was perfectly fit to round out a comforting Sunday dinner. My only regret is that this recipe only made 2 and I had to share the second Salted Caramel Pecan Apple Crisp with <3M. Next time, I’m doubling this recipe so I’m ensured leftovers for later in the week.
If you’re looking for other salted caramel recipes, my Salted Caramel Bananas Foster Cake is also perfect for the Fall and brings a dose of salty-sweet flavors!
- 1 large baking apple, peeled and sliced into ½ pieces
- 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ teaspoon course sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
- additional caramel sauce for serving, optional
- additional course sea salt for serving, optional
- Preheat the oven to 375*
- Lightly coat 2 small baking dishes (about 4-5 inches in diameter and ½-1 inch deep) with non-stick spray or butter
- Places the prepared baking dishes on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper*
- In a small bowl, toss together the apple slices, caramel sauce, and spices until the apples are fully coated in the caramel & spice mixture
- Split the apples between the two prepared baking dishes
- In a medium size bowl, mix together the rolled oats, flour, sugar, and sea salt
- Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly
- Gently fold in the pecans
- Split the topping between the two baking dishes, lightly mounding and packing the topping in place
- Bake the crisp on the prepared baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until a knife is easily inserted into the apples, indicating their level of doneness
- Let the crisp cool for 10-15 minutes before serving
- Top with additional caramel sauce, a pinch of sea salt or ice cream as desired
My neighbor has a mini orchard in his yard, and he always gives me a bushel of apples. I can’t wait to try them out in this recipe!
Salted caramel, apples and pecans are 3 of my favourite things to eat. I just LOVE that you have put them all together. Perfect comfort food!
Salted caramel certainly is a thing for me. Love the sound of this tasty sweet dessert. Perfect for any occasion, and I would likely eat it for breakfast too (if there were any leftovers).
Love pecans, so will give this a try!