It happens to the best of us. It’s fall, and you go apple picking. The air is crisp. The leaves are starting to change. It would seem criminal to be inside. So you wander the orchard, chatting with your friends or partner, picking apples for a couple of hours.

And then you got home. You realize: what in the world did you think you were going to do with ten pounds of apples?

This apple crisp is a start. It offers all the benefits of apple pie–warm apples, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg baking, even better topped with vanilla ice cream–without the multiple-step hassle that comes with baking a pie crust. Plus, it offers a crispy oat topping that, in my opinion, is better than any pie lid.

It’s fast enough for a weeknight dessert, but autumnal enough to serve as part of a casual fall dinner for friends. (Plus, on that front, it could easily be scaled up to fit a bigger pan.)

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Apple crisp

Serves 6 to 8
Adapted from my mom’s 1980s edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook

Ingredients

6 cups sliced pared tart apples (about 6 medium) (photos only show 4 apples, but my layer of apples was thinner than I would have liked)
1 to 1 1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oats
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
Vanilla ice cream, to serve (technically optional, but you’d be missing out on ice cream melting down into hot apple crisp if you forgo it)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375F. Grease square pan, 8x8x2 inches.

Place apple slices in pan. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm and, if desired, with ice cream.