A simple apple crisp.

Apples have arrived.  And this year they are particularly juicy, crisp, and delicious.  

Each year I get excited to make this simple apple crisp for dessert.  It is cozy, comforting, and delicious.  And it is easy to do.  This is a recipe that children can help with.

There are two stands where a shopper at the Collingswood Farmers’ Market can get luscious apples.  Fruitwood Farm has a wide variety of vegetables, fruit, and honey.  They are known for their honey and all natural cider.  Their fruit and vegetables are of the highest quality too.  Wm. Schoeber and Sons sells peaches and apples and by-products like peach cider, BBQ sauces, and fruit butters.  The best apples can be purchased at both farm stands.

For this recipe I used apples from both Fruitwood Farm and Wm. Schoeber and Sons.  Even though the recipe calls for only four or five apples, I mixed them up by using two or three apples from each farm.  From Fruitwood I used Stayman Winesap apples and from Schoeber’s I used Honey Crisp apples.  I think a mix of apple varieties produces a more flavorful dish.  Use your favorite apples.  I will caution to not use all Delicious (with a capital D) apples as they cook down to applesauce. There should be visible apple pieces in the crisp.

The rest of the ingredients are common and most will have all of them in their pantry.  If not, they are easy to find in any supermarket.

 

Ingredients:
4 or 5 medium apples, peeled and sliced.

1 tablespoon cinnamon (or more or less to taste)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal flakes
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (HINT:  Grate the 4 tablespoons of cold butter into the bowl using the large holes of a cheese grater. The butter will then easily blend into the crumbly topping.  Do NOT melt the butter.)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lightly coat an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter.
3. Put the peeled and sliced apples in the bottom of the dish.
   

   
4. Mix together the cinnamon, salt, brown sugar, oatmeal flakes, and flour.
5. Blend the butter into the oatmeal mixture with a fork…until it is crumbled into small clumps.  Do NOT make a paste.
6. Spoon the topping evenly over the apples.
   

   
7. Bake until the streusel topping is crispy and the apples are tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork. About 45 minutes.
8. Bake 45 to 60 minutes.  Let cool about 30 minutes (while eating dinner!) before serving with ice cream!

Simply delicious!