Minnesota Apple Crisp – Apple Crisp Recipe Without Oats

Minnesota Apple Crisp is a hundred-year-old apple crisp recipe without oats. With only five ingredients, the most basic cook can handle this recipe. This dessert has been a favorite for generations and will continue to be in your family.

Minnesota Apple Crisp

This old fashioned apple crisp comes from Hennepin County, Minnesota, and the Lothrop family shared it in my Minnesota Centennial Cook Book. According to the family, it is from around 1850, and guess what, it tastes as amazing today as it did all those years ago.

The original recipe for this Minnesota Apple Crisp was called an apple pie since they baked it in a pie tin. I tried baking it in a pie pan but prefer to bake this dessert in a baking dish making it more of an apple crisp.

In all honestly, you could probably bake this old fashioned apple crisp without oats in a leather shoe and it would still taste delicious.

Apple Crisp Recipe Without Oats

I love that this apple streusel crisp has only five simple ingredients. It really couldn’t be any easier to throw together and it always turns out mouthwatering.

The base of the apple crisp is peeled, cut apples tossed with a healthy amount of white sugar. Arrange the mixture in the baking vessel of your choice (I use a 2 quart Pyrex baking dish).

Next, there are just three ingredients to make an apple streusel to go on top of the apples. Use pastry blender, two forks, two knives or your hands to cut the butter into flour and brown sugar. The goal is to have pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the apple streusel crisp topping.

Pour the apple streusel mixture over the sweetened apples and bake until the apples are fork tender and the topping golden brown.

Eat warm as is, or top with vanilla ice cream. You could do what my Dad does, and pour a little cold milk right over top the warm apple crisp. It’s an old-fashioned habit, but he’s kinda old fashioned. Shh, don’t tell him I said so.

Apple Crisp (no cornstarch)

You’ll notice ingredients often found in apple crisp are missing this this version. This apple crisp has no cornstarch and no oats.

Instead of cornstarch, the flour in the apple streusel crisp will thicken the filling. Also, oats are not needed since this apple crisp has the streusel topping.

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp Ingredient List

Apples, peeled and sliced

White Sugar

Butter, cold (do not soften)

Brown Sugar

Flour

How to Make Apple Crisp from scratch without oats

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for apple crisp (no cornstarch), scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2 quart or 9 x 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Peel and slice apples into thick slices. If you cut them too thin, they will get mushy.
3. Combine sliced apples with white sugar; arrange in the prepared baking dish.
4. Using a pastry cutter (or two forks, two knives or your clean hands), cut cold butter into flour and brown sugar until crumbly.  The goal is to have pea sized or smaller bits of butter.
5. Pour the streusel topping over top the sweetened apples.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the apples are fork-tender and the topping golden brown.

Notes About Minnesota Apple Crisp

• Use whatever type of apples you have on hand. Originally, it called for Minnesota apples, but any variety will work.
• Peel apples first and cut into thick slices. If you cut them too thin, the apples will disintegrate during baking changing the texture.
• Be sure to start with cold butter.
• A pastry blender works best to cut cold butter into the streusel topping; however, two forks, two knives or clean hands work too.
• You can bake this in pretty much any baking dish you have on hand as long as the apples fit. The original recipe used a pin tin, but I prefer to use a 2 quart Pyrex baking dish.
• I also love my Grandma’s Old Fashioned Apple Crisp recipe too!
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Old Fashioned Apple Recipes

Red Hot Cinnamon Apples

Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Old Fashioned Apple Pudding Cake

Apple Nut Crunch