Seven plus years ago, around Thanksgiving to be exact, the Boston Globe ran a food section on apple pies. There was an apple crisp which was highlighted, so I cut it out figuring this would be my holiday dessert. The original recipe was a delicious apple crisp with a pie crust bottom. I made it a few times with the crusted bottom but found that everyone would eat the inside and topping and leave the crust behind. I ended up adapting the recipe to the eaters in my house. I started making the recipe without the crust and would add various fruits, depending on the season. Sometimes I would make it with apples and pears, other times I would throw in a cup of fresh raspberries or cranberries and one summer we made it with peaches and blueberries. Each variation seemed to taste better than the last.
The other night, I was looking at some apples and decided to make an apple crisp for dessert. I haven't made it since Thanksgiving and I forget how good it is warm from the oven with some vanilla ice cream. It was soooo good!
As I was spooning the last bit from the pan to photograph, I kept eating the remaining crumbs, stuck to the sides of the pan. It really is addictive...apples, cinnamon and a sweet oatmeal crunch. I think I'm going to hide the last cup for later. So, as far as anyone else is concerned...the apple crisp is gone.
Ingredients:
7 Apples (I use a mixture of Green Apples, MacIntosh, Delicious or whatever is in season)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
Pinch of Salt
Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup of butter (softened)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of oatmeal
1 cup of flour
Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4 inch slices, place into a bowl. Add the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, honey, cornstarch and pinch of salt. Stir and let rest for about 10 minutes to create juices for crisp. Place in 9 x 13 baking dish or 9 inch pie pan.
Mix together softened butter, brown sugar, flour and oatmeal to form crumbs. Sprinkle over apple mixture in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Hide any remaining pieces.
