‘The Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond’s Go-To Apple Crisp Recipe Will Remind You of Home

The Pioneer Woman made an easy apple recipe you can prepare for your next family gathering. Here’s how to make Ree Drummond’s go-to apple crisp.

Ree Drummond’s go-to apple crisp recipe

Drummond made a few meals that her grandmother used to make. One of the desserts she used to prepare is apple crisp. Drummond says this dessert brings back good memories.

“So many desserts remind me of my grandma and the old days but probably nothing reminds me of grandma’s house more than some kind of fruit crisp,” says Drummond on The Pioneer Woman show. “I love apple crisp. It just says home to me. It says grandma; it says all the good things.”

Drummond starts by making the apple crisp topping first. The topping includes flour, oats, brown sugar, and pecans. She also adds two pinches of salt to the mixture. She says this gives the mix a salty and sweet taste. Then Drummond adds ½ teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of baking soda. She stirs the mixture while adding melted butter.    

Drummond advises home cooks to keep stirring until the mixture forms a crumb consistency. “You want to keep stirring until the crisp mixture basically is a bunch of really delicious crumbs,” says Drummond.

Preparing the apple crisp

For the next step, Drummond uses a “superhero shortcut” by incorporating a store-bought item—apple pie filling. She likes to purchase prepared items as a way to save time. “I’m going to take the easy road here,” says Drummond. “You can totally peel apples, cut, mix with sugar, and all of that, but I am breaking out the apple pie filling because I happen to be a big fan of apple pie filling.”

Drummond uses two cans of apple pie filling. She spreads out the apples in a pan and shakes the crisp topping on top. Drummond recommends a 9×13 glass pan. “Honestly, with any kind of fruit crisp there’s as much topping as there is filling,” says Drummond. “It’s so disappointing if you eat a fruit crisp and it’s mostly fruit.”

Drummond bakes the apple crisp at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. For the topping, she adds one scoop of vanilla ice cream, extra pecans for garnish, and whipped cream. You can find the complete ingredients and directions here.

Ree Drummond’s caramel apple pie

If you’re looking for another apple recipe, try Drummond’s caramel apple pie. “Whether it’s a small dinner or a big holiday gathering, you really can’t go wrong with apple pie,” says Drummond on her show. She says this recipe has a crumb topping that’s drizzled with caramel sauce, which takes the apple pie to a “new level.”

Drummond starts by making the crust first. She uses three cups of all-purpose flour, one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and one teaspoon of salt. She then adds cold shortening and cold butter. Drummond uses a pastry cutter to combine the dry ingredients with the shortening and butter.

Next, Drummond adds one beaten egg. She tells home cooks not to overbeat the egg, but to “barely stir it around” with a fork. Then, she adds five tablespoons of ice water. “Whenever you’re making pie crust it’s important for the ingredients to stay really, really cold, otherwise everything falls apart,” advises Drummond.

After this step, Drummond adds one tablespoon of vinegar. She says the acid in the vinegar helps the pie crust stay tender. You can find the complete ingredients and directions here.

RELATED: Ree Drummond’s Easy Tomato Pie Recipe

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