Apple Brown Betty

This delicious Apple Brown Betty recipe brings crisp, sweet apples with a touch of lemon together with layers of sweet cinnamon nutmeg crumbs. Top it with all-natural vanilla ice cream or warm caramel sauce to make it the ultimate comfort food dessert.

In my opinion, apples make the world a better place. Gone are the days when your choices were Granny Smith or Red Delicious. I have not touched a Red Delicious apple since I was a kid. They are just a little too mealy for me. When I bite down, I want to hear a good crisp break. So give me a Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jazz, or Pink Lady, and I will love and appreciate every single bite. 

Unlike the apple crisp, an Apple Brown Betty does not have any oats in the topping. So for all of you who don’t like oats, this is your recipe.

How do you make Apple Brown Betty?

The first thing you need to do is peel, core, and slice the apples. But not too thin because you don’t want them to get mushy when you bake them. After you cut them, toss them with a little lemon juice in a bowl and place half of the apples in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate or 8 or 9-inch casserole dish.

Now in a food processor, combine your flour, brown sugar, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt. Pulse a couple of times to combine. Now, drop in the butter one tablespoon at a time, pulsing once or twice between each tablespoon. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. Once the mixture is combined, crumble half of it over the apple slices. Then, top with the remaining apples and the rest of the crumb mixture. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until very lightly browned. This recipe is especially delicious, served warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

What are the best apples for Apple Brown Betty?

My go-to apples for this recipe are crisp tart apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples. Other good choices are Braeburn or Pink Lady (also known as Cripps Pink). You can also do a mixture of any or all of these for more texture and flavor. When you cut your apples, slice them at least a quarter inch thick to help keep a little bit of firmness through the baking process. If you really like them crispy, cut them into small cubes.

Tips for making the best Apple Brown Betty

• Pick apples that are ideal for baking, like Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady.
• Don’t slice your apples too thin because this recipe is best when the apples still have some firmness to them.
• For ease in cleaning, grease your baking dish.
• Don’t skip the lemon juice. It helps keep the apples fresh while you are getting the rest of the recipe ready and adds a delectable, zippy flavor to the final outcome.
• Always preheat your oven and load this dish as close to the center as possible.
• For best results, do not overbake this recipe.
• This recipe, like apple pie, is best served warm yet still very delicious cold.
• Please store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Other apple recipes you will love!

Fried Apples

Applesauce Muffins

Apple Strudel

Apple Salad

Dutch Apple Pie

Apple Cookies

Apple Brown Betty

Crisp tender slices of apple are topped with sweet buttery cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove topping and baked to perfection. Absolutely scrumptious, served warm and topped with a scoop of natural vanilla ice cream.

4.97 from 29 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Southern

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 414kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 5 Honeycrisp Apples peeled cored and chunked or sliced see notes
• 1 lemon juiced about 2 tablespoons
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter cold

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray the bottom of a 9-inch casserole dish with nonstick baking spray.
• Toss apples with lemon juice and place half of them in the bottom of a 9-inch casserole dish or 9-inch pie dish.
• In a food processor, combine your flour, brown sugar, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; pulse several times to combine.  Drop in butter 1 tablespoon at a time pulsing between each tablespoon or until butter is fully incorporated and coarse crumbs form.
• Sprinkle half the crumbs over the apples. Top with remaining apple slices and the rest of the crumb mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until very lightly browned. Serve warm.

Notes

• Pick apples that are ideal for baking, like Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Granny Smiths, or Pink Lady.
• Don't slice your apples too thin because this recipe is best when the apple still have some firmness to them.
• For ease in cleaning, grease your baking dish.
• Don't skip the lemon juice.  It helps keep the apples fresh while you are getting the rest of the recipe ready and adds a noticeable delectable zippy flavor to the final outcome.
• Always preheat your oven and load this dish as close to the center as possible.
• For best results, do not overbake this recipe. The top should be very lightly browned, and the apples still be slightly crisp.
• This recipe, like apple pie, is best served warm yet still very delicious cold.
• Please store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 560IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

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