Serves 6 to 8  Total time 1 hour 25 minutes

Why this recipe works: We wanted an exemplary apple crisp—a lush (but not mushy) sweet-tart apple filling covered with truly crisp morsels of topping. Our first few crisps contained unevenly cooked apples; stirring the fruit helped solve the texture problem, but reaching into a hot oven to do so was a hassle. Instead, we softened the apples on the stovetop—in a skillet. The shallow, flared pan also encouraged evaporation, browning, and better flavor overall. To improve the flavor further, we turned to apple cider, reducing it to a syrupy consistency. As for the topping, we added brown sugar to the white to play up the apples’ caramel notes, and swapped out some flour for rolled oats to give the topping character and chew. Chopped pecans not only improved the crunch factor, but added a rich flavor as well. If your skillet is not ovensafe, prepare the recipe through step 3 and then transfer the filling to a 13 by 9‑inch baking dish; top the filling as directed and bake for 5 minutes longer than the times given in the recipe. We like Golden Delicious apples in this recipe, but Honeycrisp or Braeburn apples can be substituted; do not use Granny Smith apples. While old-fashioned rolled oats are preferable in this recipe, quick oats can be substituted; do not use instant oats. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Topping

3/4      cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
3/4      cup pecans, chopped fine
3/4      cup (2 1/4 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2      cup packed (3 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar
1/4      cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2      teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2      teaspoon salt
8          tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

3          pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, halved, and cut into 1/2‑inch wedges
1/4      cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4      teaspoon ground cinnamon
1          cup apple cider
2          teaspoons lemon juice
2          tablespoons unsalted butter

1. For the topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine flour, pecans, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Stir in melted butter until mixture is thoroughly moistened and crumbly.

2. For the filling: Toss apples, sugar, and cinnamon together in large bowl. Bring cider to simmer in 12‑inch ovensafe skillet over medium heat and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Transfer reduced cider to liquid measuring cup and stir in lemon juice.

3. Melt butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add apple mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until apples begin to soften and become translucent, 12 to 14 minutes. (Do not fully cook apples.) Off heat, gently stir in cider mixture until apples are coated.

4. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks. Place skillet on prepared baking sheet and bake until fruit is tender and topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Variations

Skillet Apple Crisp with Raspberries and Almonds
Substitute slivered almonds for pecans. Add 1/8 teaspoon almond extract to reduced cider with lemon juice. Stir 1 cup raspberries into apple mixture with reduced cider.

Skillet Apple Crisp with Vanilla, Cardamom,
and Pistachios
Substitute 1/2 cup shelled pistachios and 1/4 cup walnuts for pecans. Substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom for cinnamon in filling, and add seeds from 1 vanilla bean to apple, sugar, and cardamom mixture.