Apple Season!

Apple season is one of my favorite seasons. I love everything about apples. I love them raw, I love them dipped in peanut butter, I love juice, I love cider, I love them baked in stuff and I love them incorporated into dinners. One apple classic that I remember loving growing up was apple crisp. I'm not sure if it's the crunchy, delicious topping or the gooey cinnamon apples I love best but nothing beats warm apple crisp on a cool fall day. In celebration of apple season, I decided to create a recipe that is a spin-off of my grandmother's with a few extra touches. I hope you like it!

The trick to getting the apples perfect is cooking them a little on the stove first. This will soften them up and prepare them for cooking. That way, if your topping starts to brown early, the apples will be soft and not super crunchy. You want the apple filling to be more like a pie filling than anything else.

When you're mixing your topping, don't think about perfection. It should be a crumbly mess. If there are large chunks of butter, no larger than the size of a dime, that's going to create a lot of yummy goodness so don't panic. It's best if you can refrigerate the topping for 20-30 minutes  before putting it on top of the apples. If you don't have time, don't sweat it. It will still be just as tasty. It's mainly for the texture. 

The apples you use are completely up to preference. I chose some shiny Macintosh because they were looking extra delicious and shiny at the store, plus they were on sale. They're also super juicy which I think is great for apple crisp. It allows the natural flavors to shine through and the apple flesh softens a little easier. 

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Apple Crisp

by Christine Rosko of Life With A Side Of Coffee October-13-2015

My own personal touch on the Apple Crisp my grandmother made growing up

Ingredients

• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Flour
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
• 5 Apples, peeled and sliced
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Allspice

Instructions

Prepare your topping. In a medium bowl, mix together butter and flour until it resembles a crumbly texture. Mix in brown sugar and rolled oats. Mixture does not need to be a perfect consistency. Chill for 20-30 minutesPreheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice your apples. Soften in a pot on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Take off heat and mix in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and allspice. Taste the sugar/spice mixture to make sure it's good to you. Feel free to make adjustments as necessary. Our the apples into a buttered square baking dish.Take the topping out of the fridge and sprinkle over the fruit,crumbling as you go. Do NOT press down on the topping or the apples. You don't want the topping to get cakey. Bake until the top is browning and apple juices are bubbling, about 25-30 minutes.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 10 servings

Want more apple goodness? These recipes should keep you busy for the rest of apple season and beyond! Do you have a favorite apple recipe?

20-Minute Apple Turnovers - Food52
Apple Cheddar & Turkey Panini - The Novice Chef
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal - My Whole Food Life
Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake - The Busy Baker
Apple Crumb Bars - Taste and Tell
Apple Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins - Running With Spoons
Apple Oatmeal Muffins - Martha Stewart
BBQ Quinoa Turkey Burgers with Spiralized Apples - Fit Foodie Finds
Chunky Apple Muffins - Martha Stewart
Pumpkin Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Snickerdoodle Topping - Baked by Rachel
Rosemary-Apple Chicken Burgers and Slaw - Dessert for Two