Listen boos, this Apple Brown Betty recipe is like a warm hug in a bowl. Sweet juicy apples are blanketed in a fall spiced buttery brown sugar crumble then the whole thing is baked up to golden brown perfection. Scoop on the vanilla ice cream and get your whole life. You will be making this all Autumn long y’all.
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I love me a simple Fall recipe like this apple brown betty. It uses ingredients I already have right at the crib, and warms my soul up when the weather gets a little crisp. If you’ve gone apple picking and want an easy recipe that makes you feel all cozy inside, turn to this.
The sweet and tart apples caramelize as they bake, making for tender slices swimming in a sticky caramel sauce. And that buttery crumble is popping for real! Get into it.
What Is an Apple Brown Betty?
An apple brown betty is traditionally a dessert with alternating layers of sliced apples and buttered breadcrumbs. The “brown” in the recipe name refers to the fact that it is made with brown sugar instead of white. There are a ton of variations, and ours calls for a delish crumble instead of breadcrumbs to bring out a better texture.
The Lowdown of This Brown Betty Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: American comfort
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Can be made Vegan or Gluten-Free with substitutions
Key Flavor: Sweet and tart apples with spiced buttery crumble
Skill Level: Easy (No Sweat Fam!)
Beyond Easy Y’all
You probably have all or most of these simple ingredients lying around the house. With this easy straightforward recipe, we are turning it into something special.
As Versatile As Can Be
Whether you serve this up with a warm cup of coffee or make this for dessert, it hits every single time.
The Best Way to Use Apples
I love that you can get all those incredible flavors of an apple pie in this easy no fuss package. It really displays the wonderful notes of tart and sweet apples like none other.
Ingredients you’ll need to make apple betty brown recipe
- Apples: These are obviously the star of this dessert. They bring that bomb mix of tart and sweet flavors to the mix.
- Lemon: This helps our apples stay looking fresh so they don’t brown too quickly. They also add a nice brightening acidic note to the mix.
- All purpose flour: This is the base of our crumble.
- Granulated sugar and Brown Sugar: Both help caramelize our apples and create a wonderfully sweet crumble.
- Warm spices: We’ve got ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice on deck perfectly spicing up this treat.
- Salt- just a pinch of salt enhances flavor and balances out sweetness.
- Butter- This is gonna create that perfect crispy crumble giving us all the amazing texture.
How to make apple brown betty
What to serve with brown betty apple recipe
- Warm with Ice Cream: When it comes out of the oven, let it cool just a bit then add some vanilla ice cream or for more fun, scoops of cookie butter ice cream.
- Drizzle it Up: Ain’t nothing like a delish drizzle of caramel sauce on top to make it even more indulgent.
- Dollop it Up: Add a nice dollop of whipped cream or for a healthier breakfast spin, add greek yogurt.
Recipe Substitutions
- Apples: Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or McIntosh all work great in this recipe.
- Lemon Juice: Swap in lime juice or even apple cider vinegar.
- Flour: Grab whole-wheat or even an almond flour if you want a different texture.
- Sugars: Use dark brown sugar if you don’t have light brown sugar around. Or replace granulated with coconut sugar if you want to lighten things up a bit.
- Spices: You can keep the fuss down by using pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice as a substitute for all of the individual spices.
- Butter: Unsalted is usually the standard for baking but you can grab the salted butter boo. Just omit the kosher salt in the recipe.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Gluten-Free: Swap out the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour.
- Vegan: Replace the butter with your fave plant-based brand or use coconut oil.
- Fruit Mix Up: Add more fall or winter fruits like sliced pears or cranberries to the mix for a delish blend of flavors.
- Get Nutty: Add chopped pecans or walnuts to your crumble base to really up that crispy texture.
Expert Tips and Tricks for making the best apple brown betty recipe
- Pick the Right Apples: Apples like granny smith or honeycrisp are good because they are tart yet sweet and hold up to the heat without turning to mush.
- Keep it Uniform: Make sure you slice your apples the same size so they bake evenly.
- Keep It Cold: When working on your crumble, make sure that butter is cold so you get those bomb crumbs throughout.
- Don’t Overbake: Watch your baking time so it doesn’t dry out or get too brown. If you see that the top is browning too fast, cover with foil.
- Chill Out: Let your brown betty recipe chill for a few minutes before you serve it up. It will help set up more and be easier to serve.
How to store & reheat brown apple betty
Highly unlikely that you’ll have any leftovers but if you do, add to an airtight container once cooled to room temp then pop it in the fridge.
Brown Betty can be reheated in the microwave with a damp paper towel draped over the top. Heat in 30 second increments until warmed up.
Or, you can reheat this dessert in an oven set at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. Be sure you transfer your serving portion to an oven-safe baking dish first boos.
How long will brown betty last in the fridge?
It should last in the fridge for about 2 days before it gets too mushy.
Can I freeze brown betty apple?
No doubt boos but just an fyi, the texture might change slightly. Let it cool to room temp then wrap in plastic wrap tightly followed by foil. Don’t forget to label the date. It should last up to 3 months. You can thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating and serving.
Frequently asked questions
The only difference is apple crisp has oats in the topping, and the traditional brown betty was made with bread crumbs. So, if you’re not a fan of oats this is the recipe for you boo!
For sure boos! You can prep the apple mixture and the crumble mixture ahead of time and store separately. Just assemble and bake off when you are ready to serve it up!
Sure boos! Just make sure they are totally thawed and dried of excess liquid before adding into the recipe.
Those apples need to be tender. You can actually test with a toothpick. If you insert one and the topping isn’t crisp and the apple is still firm, keep on baking.
Apple brown betty is necessary to try this Fall boos. It’s beyond easy to make but those flavors stay poppin. Warm spices, tender apples and a buttery brown sugar crumble is where it’s definitely at boos. Get at it!
More Apple recipes
- Apple Fritters
- Fried Apples
- The Best Apple Pie
- Apple Crisp French Toast
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Apple Tarte Tatin
- Honey Apple Bars
- Apple Cobbler
Apple Brown Betty
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 4-5 apples Granny smith or honeycrips, peeled, cored and sliced (about 4 cups)
- 1 lemon juiced
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch baking dish using baking spray (or can use butter or shortening as well).
- Toss the apple slices in the lemon juice and layer half of them in the baking dish.
- In a food processor or blender, combine your flour, sugars, and spices. Pulse several times to mix well. Drop in cold butter 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between each addition until all the butter is fully incorporated and coarse crumbs form.
- Spread half of the crumbs over the apples in the baking dish and layer the second half of the apples over the top. Coat the apples with the second half of the crumbs.
- Bake the Betty for 40-45 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crumbs are crisp and golden brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream over the top.
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Awesome! One of my FAVORITE childhood desserts from school. I made this last night, so good!
Yay! Thanks, Greta!
I’ve got this baking right now and cannot wait to dig into it. That buttery crumble married in between that apple goodness. Yum! Thanks for sharing Jocelyn! BTW you and my mom share the same first name 🙂
Wow wow
Awe, thank you!
I can’t wait for all things apple! This brown betty will be the first thing on my must bake list!
I love that everything is layered so you get some of the buttery crumbly bits and apple in every bite. And loved the fun fact about this being Ronald Reagan’s favorite dessert! Funny!
This apple brown betty is perfect with vanilla ice cream! I ate it for breakfast too! Yummy
This looks SO good! Perfect for apple season! I love anything that involves buttery crumble topping.
This is such a great recipe to have ready for all those fall apples!