📖 Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray. I once forgot to grease the dish, and let me tell you, scraping that crisp out was not fun! Don't make my mistake.
2. Prepare the Apple Filling: In a large bowl, combine the peeled, cored, and sliced apples (about 6-7 medium apples) with lemon juice. This helps prevent browning. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Gently toss to coat evenly. I like to add a tiny dash of ground cloves, just a personal preference – adds a little somethin' somethin'.
3. Make the Crumble Topping: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If you don't have a pastry blender, using your fingers works just fine! Just make sure the butter is cold; otherwise, it will get mushy.
4. Assemble the Crisp: Pour the apple filling into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apple filling. Make sure you get crumble all over, nothing sadder than a bare apple patch!
5. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbly. I usually check around 30 minutes. Ovens can be tricky, you know? The aroma filling your kitchen is just…divine.
6. Prepare the Salted Caramel Sauce (while the crisp is baking): In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns a deep amber color. This takes patience. Trust me, don't walk away from the stove! Burnt caramel is not a fun smell.
7. Carefully remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the butter. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble up. Then, stir in the heavy cream and salt. If the sauce seizes up or looks grainy, return it to low heat and stir until smooth. I like to add a tiny splash of vanilla extract at the end, but that's just me being extra.
8. Drizzle and Serve: Once the apple crisp is out of the oven, let it cool slightly (about 10-15 minutes). Drizzle the warm salted caramel sauce generously over the top. Serve warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired. Seriously, the ice cream is a must. It's like a warm hug for your taste buds.