The Old School Topping Your Apple Crisp Is Missing

Desserts are a major part of food history. As time passes and trends come and go, sometimes desserts fade from popularity. These old school desserts people don't make anymore serve as snapshots of the time they came from, giving us insight into the food habits of yesteryear. However, every now and then, an old school dessert makes a comeback. Apple crisps (not to be confused with apple pie) are a perfect example of a vintage dessert fad that deserves a comeback.

Essentially a crustless apple pie, an apple crisp is a perfect autumnal dessert that combines apples with sugar and cinnamon. However, it can be a bit plain by itself. To give apple crisp a little upgrade, try topping it with a butterscotch sauce. Made by combining sugar, butter, and heavy cream, this sauce is easy to assemble and easy to add to the dessert: Just drizzle it on top at the end. The butterscotch sauce perfectly complements the sweetness of the sugar and cinnamon while contrasting nicely with the freshness of the apples. While making this topping does mean a little extra effort, it's worth taking the time to do so. Adding a little extra to an already delicious apple crisp can take the dessert from good to great. Try experimenting even more by changing up the ingredients in the apple crisp itself, until you find a recipe that really feels like it's yours.

First things first: Think about the kind of apples you want to use. You can technically use whatever kind of apple you like, although popular choices include Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Fuji. However, there are plenty of other varieties that can work in an apple crisp, such as Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Gala. You can even use a combined mix of multiple apple types.

Next, consider which ingredients you add to the apple crisp itself to give the apples more flavor. The most traditional route is sugar and cinnamon, but common additions include vanilla extract, nutmeg, and ground ginger. You don't have to just stick with spices: Try adding orange and lemon zest for a citrusy kick, maple syrup for extra sweetness, or additional fruits, such as cranberries, pears, pomegranates, or raspberries, to vary the flavor of the crisp.

Finally, try changing up what you put on top of the apple crisp. Rolled oats, chopped nuts, caramel sauce, and old school butterscotch sauce are some of the most popular options. However, you could easily top your apple crisp with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, or crème fraîche. If you want to be a little fancy, you can try making a homemade oat topping. This is essentially just rolled oats combined with spices, sugar, and butter, giving the apple crisp an especially flavorful, crunchy texture.