Recipes

No-Bake Apple Crisp Is the Perfect Autumn Dessert

And it just takes 15 minutes.
By

Published Oct. 27, 2022.

It’s fall and all I want to eat is warm, juicy pie.

The air is crisp, there are more and more golden leaves underfoot, and the cozy comfort food cravings are truly settling in. But I have to be honest: I simply don’t have the time (or the energy) to bake a fresh pie every week to keep up with my voracious appetite for comfy desserts.

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That’s why my new favorite recipe is the No-Bake Apple Crisp for One from our Complete Modern Pantry cookbook. It scratches that apple pie itch without any of the floured surfaces, rolling, resting, baking, or chilling. And you’re 15 minutes away from enjoying it yourself.

Book

The Complete Modern Pantry

Flexibility is the core of pantry cooking–when every cook needs to improvise. The Complete Modern Pantry captures the ethos of true pantry cooking with a unique approach.

With just a handful of staple ingredients that I can just about guarantee you already have in your kitchen, this recipe is a stir-and-nuke situation; it comes together entirely in the microwave.

Have I convinced you yet? I thought so. Here’s how to make it:

No-Bake Apple Crisp for One

Serves 1

Total Time: 15 minutes

Filling:

  • 1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon


Topping:

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons old-fashioned rolled oats
  • Pinch table salt
  • ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces


  1. FOR THE FILLING: Combine all ingredients in bowl and microwave until apple has softened and juices have thickened, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.
  2. FOR THE TOPPING: Meanwhile, mix flour, sugar, oats, and salt together in second bowl. Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until mixture has texture of coarse crumbs. Microwave until topping is golden, about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
  3. Sprinkle topping over apple and serve.

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