A perfect fall dessert of cinnamon and apples with a savory hint of thyme, underneath a crispy rolled oat topping.
Something I miss a lot about when my children were young, was making fun memories of apple picking every autumn. We had the best time on the hayride out to the orchard and then choosing our apples.
We would come home with so many apples! What to do with all of them? Today’s recipe is one of the tried and true desserts that we made often. Even now, when I haven’t gone out to the orchard in many years to pick my own apples, I still make this perfect fall dessert.
Want to try a really cool apple recipe? Give my Green Apple Couscous Salad a try, it is delicious!
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Cinnamon Apple Crisp
The “crisp” in this cinnamon apple crisp dessert comes in the form of rolled oats, honey, flour, butter, and almonds.
Thyme is the surprise ingredient in this autumn recipe. You may not think it belongs, but actually, thyme is part of the mint family, so it makes perfect sense to use it and it adds a savory flavor.
Place the top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8” x 8” baking dish and set aside. Place apples in a large bowl and toss with fresh lemon juice. Add maple syrup, apple juice, cinnamon, allspice, thyme leaves, and salt. Toss to combine and set aside.
Combine topping ingredients in a separate bowl and stir until oats are thoroughly coated and all ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
Pour apple mixture into a prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Spread the topping evenly across the top in a uniform layer, as well.
Place into a preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. If the top layer is nicely browned, cover dish loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes or until the apple crisp is nice and bubbling. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Helpful Tips:
- Firm apples work best, such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady, and will hold up well during baking.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by replacing the flour with almond flour.
- Pairs perfectly with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Be sure to check out my other fall desserts:
Pumpkin Dump Cake
Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites
Pumpkin Mouse with Maple Whipped Cream
This recipe for Cinnamon Apple Crisp is full of the flavors of fall and sure to become your favorite autumn dessert!
Did you make this autumn cinnamon apple crip for dessert? Let me know how it was in the comments below.

Cinnamon Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 6 large apples
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ cup real maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1½ tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp salt
Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup almonds
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Place top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8” x 8” baking dish and set aside.
- Place apples in a large bowl and toss with fresh lemon juice. Add maple syrup, apple juice, cinnamon, allspice, thyme leaves, and salt. Toss to combine and set aside.
- Combine topping ingredients in a separate bowl and stir until oats are thoroughly coated and all ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
- Pour apple mixture into prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Spread the topping evenly across the top in a uniform layer, as well.
- Place into pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes. If the top layer is nicely browned, cover dish loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes or until the apple crisp is nice and bubbling. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.