APPLE CRISP
Nothing says fall like apple crisp. A bed of warm sugary apples coated with cinnamon and nutmeg and covered with a crumbly oat and pecan topping. Add bourbon or whiskey to the apples for an added depth of flavor. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have a welcoming fall treat that will make anyone smile. And here's the best part: it's not difficult to make! I've reworked this recipe for apple crisp many times over the years. Each time I make it, it feels like home.
INGREDIENTS
Crisp Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup raw sugar (Turbinado or Demerara)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
Apples:
4 firm apples, such as Jonagold, Rome Beauty, Granny Smith, or Honeycrisp
3 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon, to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, to taste
Optional: 2 tablespoons bourbon, rye, or whiskey
Juice from zested lemon
2 teaspoons flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Start with the topping. Combine flour, oats, sugar, lemon zest, salt, and pecans in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. You can also use a food processor for this step and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix. I prefer seeing oats and pecans in the topping so I use the mixer because the food processor will pulverize them. Add chilled butter and mix on low speed (or pulse if using a food processor) until mixture is crumbly and butter is the size of lentils. You may have seen other recipes say mix or cut until the butter is the "size of peas"; but the butter should be smaller than a typical-sized pea so lentils are a better sizing guide. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Next, the apples. Core and dice apples into 1/2 inch chunks. Don’t dice the apples until you are at this step to avoid their turning brown. I peel the apples first, but if you like the texture of apple skin in the crisp, skip peeling. If the apples start to turn brown, put them in a bowl, add some lemon juice, and mix to coat. Toss diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg (and alcohol, if using) in a bowl until the apples are completely coated. If there is a lot of juice in the mixture, add flour and mix well.
Bake. Transfer apple mixture to an 8x8 or 9x9 inch buttered baking dish and spread evenly. Cut up remaining tablespoon of butter and dot over the layer of apples. Cover apple mixture evenly with crisp topping. Do not pack topping down. Bake until topping is darker in color, sandy, dry, and firm to the touch and apple mixture is bubbling on the sides, about 45 minutes. Do not overbake. The crisp will continue to cook once out of the oven. I prefer my apples to still have a little bit of bite rather than being really soft. Place on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Spoon each serving into a bowl and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (technically optional, but mandatory in my book).