Imagine layers of autumn bliss: a buttery maple cookie crust topped with tender spiced apples and velvety pumpkin that melt together in perfect harmony. This Apple & Pumpkin Crisp is crowned with a golden, cinnamon and spice crumb topping and each bite is a celebration of warm fall flavors. It’s the ultimate dessert—rich, cozy, and just sweet enough to keep you coming back for more. Whether served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or enjoyed chilled with a dollop of whipped cream, this apple and pumpkin crisp will have everyone asking for seconds. It’s the perfect dessert for these festive fall holidays.
This Apple & Pumpkin Crisp idea surfaced as I was walking down the cookie aisle and spotted these delicious-looking maple cream sandwich cookies. Maple is my jam! My first thought was what a wonderful crust they would make for an apple caramel cheesecake. And, while I still think they would, I just couldn’t get the idea of a dessert made with apples, pumpkin and spice out of my head!. That is how this apple and pumpkin crisp was born … right there in the grocery store!
I’d never made a fruit crisp with a crust before, so I didn’t know exactly how it would turn out. Would it stay crispy or get soggy? My crisp recipes all call for the fruit filling and a simple crumb topping, but this cookie crust turned out to be perfectly delicious along with the apple-pumpkin filling and the crumb topping! It stayed nice and crunchy and gave a great texture to the dessert, too. The Maple Leaf Cookies are available at Trader Joe’s, and when I checked with the Lafayette store, they had plenty in stock. They are sandwich cookies with wonderful maple cream centers. They are also delicious all on their own if you need a little afternoon pick-me-up!
The filling part of the dessert is made with Honeycrisp apples, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and lots of spice tossed with a little flour and lemon juice. Then, the topping is a regular crumb topping but with the addition of old-fashioned oats and toasted pecans. Full disclosure … we loved this dessert so much, that we made it two days in a row. (We had dinner guests both nights, so we didn’t actually eat the whole thing all by ourselves!) We served it with a small scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt, and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice. Thanksgiving is now behind us, but this is a perfect Christmas dessert, too, and you could easily double it for a larger crowd.
Apple & Pumpkin Crisp
Ingredients
Maple Cookie Crust
- 1 box Maple Leaf Cookies (you’ll need about 10 and you can enjoy the remaining 3 or 4 cookies for a snack!) (processed into fine crumbs)
- 4 tbsp. butter, melted
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom
- 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 4 tbsp. butter (cut into very small pieces and chilled) (equivalent to 1/4 cup, or 2 oz.)
- 1/4 cup pecans (coarsely chopped and toasted)
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
Apple & Pumpkin Filling
- 3 large Honeycrisp apples (peeled, cored and coarsely chopped or sliced into 1/2-inch wedges)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Spray or grease a 9-inch square or round baking dish with sides at least 2 inches high. Preheat oven to 350 F.
Maple Cookie Crust
- Place 10 or so of the cookies (the whole cookie including the cream filling) in the bowl of your food processor and process to fine crumbs. Turn the cookie crumbs into a bowl and stir in the melted butter.
- Pat the mixture into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
Crumb Topping
- Meanwhile prepare the crumb topping by whisking the flour, sugar, and spices in a medium bowl until blended. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is about the size of small peas. Stir in the oats and pecans. Set aside.
Apple & Pumpkin Filling
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and spices to blend. Stir in the pumpkin puree and mix well. Gently toss the apples into this mixture to coat the apples with the pumpkin mixture. Stir in lemon juice. Pour the apple-pumpkin mixture into the pan on top of the baked cookie crust.
- Distribute the crumb topping evenly over the top of the fruit filling. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the topping is slightly browned and the filling is bubbly. Remove from oven.
- You can serve this dessert hot from the oven, but I usually let it sit for at least 25 minutes to let it set up before serving it with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle the ice cream scoop with a dusting of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.
