This Zapple Crisp is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee’s Kitchen possible!
Zapple Crisp – Zucchini as an Apple Substitute?
It’s zucchini season and you or someone you know is probably overloaded with zucchini. Fortunately, it is an incredibly versatile ingredient. So versatile, in fact, that it makes a great apple substitute in apple crisp. I first saw “zapple crisp” on TikTok and thought “No way!” But it actually works really well. I can almost guarantee no one would notice the substitution (I tricked my own family). Zucchini slices even look like apple slices once the seeds are removed!
I don’t recommend doing a straight substitute of zucchini using your favorite apple crisp recipe. There are a few changes you need to make in order for it to taste more like apple. You definitely need to use lemon juice to make it a little tart. Additionally, I used a little cream of tartar, which is an acidic ingredient and it gives baked goods a slightly sour, tangy taste (that’s what gives snickerdoodles their unique flavor).
How to Prepare the Zucchini
Additionally, how you slice the zucchini is very important. You have to remove the peel and the seeds.. When you do those two things, the zucchini slices really look like apple slices.
One more thing I want to point out—I baked this in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. It would certainly fit in an 8×8 or 9×9, but you get a better crisp topping to zucchini filling ratio when you spread it out in a larger dish.
The Importance of Melted Butter for the Crisp
I also want to point out that I used melted butter in the crisp topping. If you use cold butter pieces crumbled into the oats and flour, the topping won’t crisp and the texture isn’t as good. It’s called zapple CRISP for a reason! But if you start with melted butter, the topping will brown and crisp better on top of the filling. I use Challenge unsalted butter in this recipe because it’s churned daily from the freshest 100% real pasteurized sweet cream.
I made this recipe on Fox59! If you’re looking for more fun crisp recipes try my Amaretto Apple Crisp or my Cherry Crisp!
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Zapple Crisp
If you have extra zucchinis this summer try this Zapple Crisp! It’s so convincing as an apple crisp substitute you can even trick your family and friends by presenting it as apple crisp.
- Total Time55 minutes
- Yield8 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the zucchini filling
- 2 lb zucchini
- 105 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 8 g (1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the crisp topping
- 210 g (1 cup) brown sugar
- 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 90 g (1 cup) rolled oats
- 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) Challenge unsalted butter , melted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
For the zucchini filling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 11×7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Peel zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Remove seeds from center of zucchini and slice into 1/8-inch pieces. They should resemble apple slices. Place in large bowl.
- Mix remaining filling ingredients and add to bowl with zucchini slices. Mix until slices are evenly coated. Spread evenly in baking dish.
For the crisp topping
- Mix all topping ingredients and spread evenly over zucchini filling.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crisp topping is golden brown.
- Zapple crisp is best served hot with vanilla ice cream.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes