Mix some uncooked oats in with the topping

Some moms used to bake with Crisco or margarine which give a different texture.

"Mix some uncooked oats in with the topping"

With a modicum of respect here, I detest oats in desserts. There is just no poetry in it. The only good oat is a boiled one with butter and Nestle's quick as a breakfast.... ( :

"Also, are you making it with apples that aren't too juicy?"

She vowed to never use Macintosh for that reason and that they become mushy. A local orchard has Baldwins but they didn't make the cut.

I am sold on Empire apples for my apple pies and, for the water control, they work for my other baked desserts. It is interesting to see all the new apple varieties. The breed them for long shelf life and transportation at the cost of flavor.

I will definitely increase the butter though. Thanks for the tip.

"Some moms used to bake with Crisco or margarine which give a different texture."

I don't recall her ever cooking with Crisco or margarine. None of her recipes indicate either one. She did use to grease up pans though.

I have used Crisco in pastries but it lacks the flavor of butter. Still, I wonder if it will improve the crispness of my crisp.

Perhaps putting the pan/rack a bit higher in the oven might work?

Do you dot the topping w/ more butter? I always do.

& I make Molly Katzen's fruit crisp w/ rolled oats, flour, butter & chopped nuts. What if you tried putting some finely chopped walnuts in the topping?

Try using white sugar instead of brown. Brown sugar adds moisture.

OK, so it is more butter and change to white sugar.
Will do. I will post my results but it may take a while.

More butter and more sugar....doesn't matter if white or brown....there is enough moisture coming from the apples to negate any difference in moisture content of the sugar.

I'm wondering...

If all else fails, try baking w/ convection at a lower temp.

Or crisp it up under the broiler at as low a temperature as possible and keeping an eagle eye on it so you don't burn it.

I don't know if either would work. Any kind of apple crisp is A-OK with me.

I use this to make crumb bars, just mix in a food processor & I kind of crunch it together to get clumps. The bars bake at 375 about 45 minutes. I often bake just a bit longer because I like the sugary crunch. However, for the bars half of it is put in the bottom for a crust, the rest clumped over the top, so if just putting on top you only need about half of it. But then what would you do with half an egg? And more should be better, shouldn't it?

It really does make a nice crunchy topping, I've thought about using brown sugar instead of white when making peach bars, but haven't tried that yet.

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cup flour

1 cup butter

1 egg

¼ teaspoon salt

"I use this to make crumb bars, just mix in a food processor & I
kind of crunch it together to get clumps."

Hmm, something unholy about doing it manually.
Won't this affect the space-time continuum?

"... so if just putting on top you only need about half of it. But then what would you do with half an egg? And
more should be better, shouldn't it? "

Can one ever get enough of this stuff?
Why cut it in the first place. (:

Ci_Lantro (!)

" If all else fails, try baking w/ convection at a lower temp."

I am using convection, wondering about lower temperature though.

"Or crisp it up under the broiler at as low a temperature as possible and keeping an eagle eye on it so you don't burn it."

I have tried the broiler, one has to be careful as the correct doneness is a small window. However, it does seem to set-up a bit when cooling."

Are you using cold butter? Mine came out similar to what you describe. I checked the recipe again, and had used room temp butter instead of refrigerated. Made a huge difference next time I made it.

Browning (caramelization) starts at 350° F. I'd think 375° would be perfect for a crisp, but there also may be a difference between older and newer, more accurate ovens. Also, try without the convection. I don't use convection for pies, but I can't remember for a crisp. I haven't made one in a year or two.

Angelaid's point is a good one. Cold butter means it takes longer to steam off, giving the starches a chance to brown, or something like that. I miss Grainlady...

Is this one of the things where cane sugar makes a big difference? I wouldn't have thought so, but if you're using beet sugar, it might be worth trying cane.

Emerogork--Yeh, the idea for lowering the temperature is so there is hot air blowing over the crisp for longer.

I found a recipe that uses Grape Nuts cereal in the crisp (and oats, but you could omit those.) I'd be afraid of the number that the Grape Nuts might do on my dental work, though. (And it definitely won't be like Mom's apple crisp.)

Crispiest Apple Crisp

Would your mother have had a convection oven?

I was wondering, too, if your mom lived in a different climate than what you live in...saying this because it's raining and nothing in Central Wisconsin stays crisp for very long (unless it's the dead of winter.)

The recipe called for room temperature butter. I should have questioned that.
Now I have too many variables to do a single test.

1) Cold Butter
2) White sugar, but suggestions are that it doesn't make a difference.
3) No convection, my mother's stove did not have convection.

Life is tough, how many Crisps do I have to make, and eat, in order to get it right? I will have to revise the recipe for two portions instead of eight.

I remember, as a kid, that my mother purchased one of every chocolate cake box mix she could find and we certainly enjoyed the taste test.... I believe the winner was the Stop Rite store brand.

As for location? I inherited the house and property on which I went through my childhood. My mother designed it, my father built it. How cool is that?

Seagrass you slay me! And for us BBQ folk, browning proteins is between 280 and 320 and is referred to as the mailliard reaction. I always thought there was some double acting baking powder in those super light crusts. Not really my area though. I mainly focus on the eating part.

Oh, how nice is that!

And debunks that theory...

One more idea...have you tried making it with clarified butter (to eliminate the moisture factor in butter....which I suspect is a lot 'wetter' than it used to be.)

Different butters have different water contents. You're right--that could be a factor too.

When I make crumb cake, I squeeze the topping into bigger crumbs, then I put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. They keep their shape and crisp up.

6oz sugar

7oz butter

10oz flour

It will crisp whatever the fruit. Cook at 400f

The shape of the pan matters too. It might seem that wider is better (exposing more crisp to direct heat) but I think not. I make mine in a 2-qt. casserole about three inches deep. With the thicker layer of crisp, some will be held above the apples and will be crisp.

I'm curious to know what baking apples you're finding now. For me this is a fall and winter treat.

Gravenstein is an August apple. They are best for applesauce though.