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This easy apple crisp in a mug is ready in minutes! Top it with vanilla ice cream and dig into a cozy apple dessert without even turning your oven on.
Looking for more apple desserts? You’ll love my old-fashioned apple cobbler.
Table of Contents
I recently shared my favorite oven-baked apple crisp. That recipe remains my go-to when I want to dig into a warm bowl of soft cinnamon-spiced apples with a tender oat topping. But you know what? Sometimes mama wants her apple crisp right now. As in, I don’t want to wait for the oven to preheat and my apple crisp to bake.
That’s where this mug version comes in. It’s basically a miniaturized take on my apple crisp recipe. It comes together in minutes and is every bit as delicious. Careful though: once you try this recipe – or any of my mug cake recipes for that matter – time and effort will no longer be a barrier when you want to indulge in something sweet. If it’s midnight and you have the ingredients in your house, nothing is stopping you from making this apple crisp dessert at the spur of the moment! I once caught my 10-year-old eating one well past bedtime. I couldn’t be mad because well, they did show gumption right?
Tips for Success
This recipe follows many of the same rules as my mug cake recipes. Some of those bear repeating here, and there are also a few tips specific to this apple crisp:
- Use a large microwave safe mug. I recommend using a 15-oz mug because then your crisp as plenty of room to cook, even though it won’t rise like the mug cakes do. For this recipe I prefer a wide mug vs a tall one.
- Make sure the apples are softened. The easiest way to do this is to not cut them into large pieces. About 1-inch pieces is ideal. You want them to soft like the inside of an apple pie and smaller pieces lets the apples cook more quickly. Be sure to stir them halfway through their cook time so that the spoon can help break them down and all of the apple bits can cook evenly.
- Use quick cooking oats. These are not the same as old fashioned oats. Quick cooking oats have been cut into smaller pieces, rolled thinner and steamed for longer than old fashioned oats. This means they, you guessed it, cook quicker! That’s what we want for this mug dessert. Old fashioned oats would not cook up quick enough. (Also in case you are wondering, steel cut oats would not work for a crisp.)
- Let it cool. As with the mug cakes, this dessert will be HOT when it is done. Give it about 5 minutes to cool.
How to Serve Apple Crisp in a Mug
I usually eat my apple crisp straight out of the mug, but you could also spoon it into a bowl and top with your preferred fixings there. Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream are my go-to topping choices! But if you want to be a bit healthier, this apple crisp is tasty enough to eat by itself.
Apple Crisp in a Mug
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 large apple, peeled and diced into small pieces*
- 1 tablespoon sugar or cinnamon sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Pinch ground cinnamon
For the topping:
- ¼ cup quick-cooking oats, not old fashioned
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Cook the apples. Place diced apples in your mug. Add the water, sugar, and cinnamon. Give them a quick stir to combine. Microwave for 2 minutes, pausing halfway through to stir the apples.
- You want the apples to soften so depending on your microwave strength you may need closer 3 minutes. You can add an extra splash of water if the apples are too dry at the 2-minute mark. Once the apples are softened, set aside.
- Make the topping. In a bowl combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Stir well until the oats and flour have been incorporated.
- Finish cooking. Spoon topping over the microwaved apples. Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes, until the oats have softened and cooked.
- Cool and serve. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, it will be HOT. Top with a scoop of ice cream and dig in.
Love this recipe! Comes out perfect every time.
Delicious! I tried your vanilla mug cake last week and it was amazing, so today I tried this apple crisp in a mug. It was good! Definitely one of my new favorite dessert ideas. I will have to try your regular apple crisp recipe next time I have people over to visit.
That’s wonderful! We just made these this weekend too. This method of making apple crisp is just too easy to resist! I’m happy to hear you liked the recipe as much as we do.