There’s something about Fall that turns up my love for baking. If I had to put a pulse on it, I’d say it’s the cooler, crisp weather coupled with warm and cozy fare that gets me every time. Oh, and apple season.
Since forever, apples have been one of my favorite fruits, so it’s a no-brainer that combining them with scrumptious flavors like fragrant spices and citrus make them a star-ingredient in my kitchen. From tarts, to crostatas, apples and baking are a winning combination for me.
As much as that is true, it was somewhat ironic that I had never baked an apple crisp until this past weekend. I say ironic because it was a favorite dessert treat growing up. In fact, I was introduced to apple crisp as a part of the occasional dessert round-up for my school lunches, and although I found most of the lunches to be not so great, and happily farmed mine off to my eager classmates (my mom didn’t appreciate that, lol!), apple crisp was one of the few dishes (along with peanut butter cookies, pizza and burgers) that elicited excitement. Sounds like a child’s palette, no?
Despite having a grandmother who turned the apples from the apple tree in my grandparents' backyard into decadent homemade apple pies that food dreams are made of, I still fell for those little servings of apple crisp on the lunch trays. And this past weekend, I revived those childhood memories and tastes in my own kitchen, discovering, to my delight, that apple crisp will always do it for me. (I baked a peach crisp over the summer that was addictively good, so I was biding my time for apple season to finally arrive, so I could recreate the goodness all over again.)
Beyond the memories and delicious indulgence, the ease in which this dessert comes together makes it star-worthy. With the toss of a few ingredients, it’s oven-ready and primed to be baked to perfection with the bonus of that “something delicious is baking aroma” wafting through your kitchen.
Served hot from the oven, topped with ice cream for extra decadence (yes, please!), it’s baked perfection in a dish and the best kind of…
Happy Eating!
Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
¾ cup flour
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, and diced into cubes
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3 lbs. apples (I prefer Granny Smith)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Method:
Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cut butter into flour, using a pastry blender or two knives, until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add oats and use your hands to toss and squeeze mixture until large, moist clumps form. Place in freezer to chill while you prepare the apples.
In another large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ cup granulated sugar. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the oat topping mixture. Place in preheated oven and bake until golden and bubbling, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving—and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
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