Apple Crisp
Can I just start by saying that the only thing better than eating this delectable apple crisp is letting smells of butter, cinnamon and apples waft through your entire house? Who needs candles when you can just bake yourself an apple crisp? I'm telling you, the whole time this baby baked away in the oven, Cole and I would catch a whiff and say, "OH MY GOD IT SMELLS SOOOOO GOOD" repeatedly. It's like an added bonus on top of the pleasure you'll get from actually eating this soul-satisfying fall dessert.
Once the leaves start falling here in Seattle, I go full on Beast Mode for all things fall food. We already know I'm breaking out the soups and hearty comfort food recipes, but the only thing that truly signals fall to me is making my signature apple crisp.
Apple crisp (I just said that with a lisp, FYI) is one of the only desserts I can successfully pull off and something I've been making for years. One of my favorite cookbooks to this day is one my mom gave me growing up, the Williams-Sonoma Kids Cooking cookbook. I still swear by the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and, of course, the apple crisp recipe.
I love this apple crisp recipe because it doesn't add any sugar to the apple mixture and keeps it simple with cinnamon, lemon and a little apple juice - truly bringing out a tart, apple-y flavor. Of course I'm using my favorite apples on this planet, the Honeycrisp variety. They're not cheap, but oh so worth it. And perfect for a crisp or pie! I also love how it encourages you to mix the crisp mixture with your bare hands. Being a messy cook, I love this part. Plus, it creates for a more rustic, buttery crisp topping which can't be bad.
What I've done to make this crisp even better is borrow a page from Queen Ina's book and use measurements for the crisp that make even more. Because, why not? My soul is truly happy when I eat this crisp. With a little bit of vanilla ice cream served warm it's fragrant, tart, sweet and buttery. Even my fruit-hating boyfriend couldn't get enough (I'm not kidding. A fruit hater. He's the worst.) Plus, it's one of the easiest desserts to make in the world. I hope when you make this it brings you just as much joy and comfort as it brings me - enjoy!
Apple Crisp
5 Honeycrisp apples
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound salted butter (go the salted route for that salty/sweet kick!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, core and slice five apples and place in buttered casserole dish. Toss apples with lemon juice, apple juice and cinnamon and toss to coat.Combine flour, sugars and salt in a large bowl. Dice butter and add to the dry mixture. Using your hands, rub the ingredients together between your finger tips until the mixture looks and feels like fine crumbs. You can also use an electric mixer here, but I personally like getting down and dirty with my food - plus it creates for a more rustic crisp mixture!Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the apples in the dish. Bake until the apples are tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown, about an hour. Let it cool to room temperature or slightly warm and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
