31 Days of Fall from the Kitchen, Day 2: Apple Crisp

If you're looking for something quick to bake this afternoon or evening, this might be just the thing.  You may even have all of the ingredients on hand, so a trip to the store might not be necessary, which would make it all the better.  For some reason I always want some sort of baked good to sink my teeth into on Sunday afternoons.  I just finished my helping of this dessert and it hit the spot!

Apple desserts are some of my favorites.  In fact, when I was growing up my mom would often make apple pie for my birthday instead of cake.  You might see an apple pie here later on this month, but to start off our month of fall recipes, I decided to make an apple crisp.

Apples are in season, if you didn't know, and there are tons of ways to use them in different dishes.  One of the things that I love about making apple crisp is that you can easily adjust the amounts to make a smaller portion.  It's difficult to cut a pie recipe in half, so there is always a ton leftover.  Granted, leftover pie is not altogether a bad thing, it's excellent for snacks, lunch, breakfast...but if you're trying to watch your diet, having leftover pie isn't a great idea.  This recipe, though, is perfect for adjusting to what you need, and you may not have those tempting leftovers to fight with.

For my purposes (a need for a buttery crumb topping) I decided to cut the amount of apples in half, but keep the original amount of topping.  The amounts were perfect!  So, if you choose to make this recipe using the entire 3 pounds of apples, might I suggest that you DOUBLE the amounts for the topping.  Just a suggestion...

Apple Crisp
Printable Version

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 cup old fashioned oats (not quick cooking)

3 pounds apples

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.  In a large bowl, mix together flour brown sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar.  Using a pastry knife, cut in the butter until crumbly.  Add oats and use your fingers to mix together.  Place this in the freezer to chill while you work on the apples. 

Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1-inch cubes.  Toss in a bowl with lemon/lime juice.  Add 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.  Stir until combined.  Place in a 2-quart baking dish and top with crumb mixture.  Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden and bubbling, 55-60 minutes.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.


source: slightly adapted from Martha Stewart