In case you haven’t figured this out yet…
I’m a chocolate fanatic.
Generally, I’ll take a hunk of chocolate over pretty much any other dessert.
This apple crisp, however, completely, totally, 100% blew me away.
Stole my heart.
Swept me right off my feet.
And knocked me clear off my rocker.
I don’t know if it has just been a while and I forgot how great apple crisp is or if this one was particularly amazing…
but I kind of lost it for a while there and could not stop raving about how unbelievable it was and insisting that everyone try some immediately.
Fortunately, they agreed with me.
It didn’t take that much convincing.
Crisps/crumbles (whatever) are awesome because they can either be crazy complicated and fancy or super simple.
Either way it’s delicious.
I went simple.
The best part?
It all starts with a pretty bowl full of apples!
You start by chopping them up.
It’s a good day when even your scraps are pretty!
Then it’s time for the good part
Don’t forget the butter.
(just saying…so far we have oats, cinnamon, sugar and butter in a bowl.)
((it’s a great day))
Do what you gotta do to make that butter into little chunks.
You know…like a crumble….
…for your crumble topping.
(A pastry cutter is easiest)
((Mom doesn’t have one…because I stole hers))
Don’t stress too much about your chunks.
You do want it to combine with your dry ingredients pretty well but it’s just going to melt on top of your apples and mingle with your cinnamon sugar until it’s pure joy in a pan.
Spread it around, let it make friends with your cinnamon/sugar/oaty stuff.
Stress is not invited to this cinna-party.
So…I have made a lot of apple crisps in my life.
This time…things went a little differently.
I did two things that may have contributed to the absolute amazingness of this crisp.
A little maple syrup drizzled over the apples added some depth to the flavors.
It wasn’t just straight up sugar.
It was INTERESTING sugar.
Also those pecans were spot. on.
I lloooovvvveeeeee how they get all toasty in the oven. Such a perfect addition to regular crumble topping.
Assembly is pretty simple.
Throw your apples in a baking dish, sprinkle the crumble on top then bake until the top is toasty brown and the middle is bubbling up sticky cinna-sweet all over your crunchy crumbly topping and you absolutely can. not. resist taking a fork right to the pan before you even get a picture of the whole crisp without a piece missing.
Silly.
Those pecans look burned there.
They are not.
They are TOASTY.
It’s different.
And delicious.
I dare you to resist.
I did not.
((At least I used a fork…)
Enjoy!
❤ Ellen
Update: Apparently my parents were battling over this crisp after I left. TRY IT!
Apple Crisp
Recipe from my head based on a million different recipes
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (chilled)
maple syrup
chopped pecans
7 apples, (or as many as fit in your baking dish), chopped into small chunks
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
2. Peel, wash and chop your apples into bite sized pieces. I like pretty small pieces when it comes to crumbles and pies. You could slice them pretty big if you wanted to. Choose your own adventure. When they’re chopped just dump them in your baking dish
3. Drizzle the apples all over with maple syrup and toss them around a little to evenly coat the chunks
4. Mix your dry ingredients (through salt) until well combined
5. Cube your butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two knives until you have even-ish chunks and it is well combined with the dry ingredients
6. Toss in a handful of chopped pecans…how much depends on how nutty you’re feeling (ha!). I was feeling about 1/2-3/4 cup nutty
7. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over your apples and bake for about half an hour or until top is golden brown
Courtesy of Mama Z =)
Gingersnaps in an orderly 5×4 array.
Yeah, I gave him toothpick arms. No noses though…guilty…
Ellen in the Kitchen 