Mom’s Apple Crisp

Fall is fast approaching, which means I’m getting nostalgic. Fall always feels like a fresh clean start, a time to shake of the heat and humidity left clinging from August, when the cooler temperatures means it’s safe to turn on the oven again. In addition to fall indicating new beginnings, such as the new school year with new friends and new classes, the one thing that always remained constant was Mom’s Apple Crisp. Every fall, my mom and I would make this apple crisp together, making a new batch as soon as the last one was gone. And each batch disappeared pretty quickly, sitting on the counter with a fork left in the pan for emergency trimming. You know what I’m talking about: those edges get awfully unruly and need constant vigilance. Now I use a spatula to keep those edges clean, but the apple crisp still disappears just as quickly.

Mom’s Apple Crisp
3-4 C sliced apples (8-9 small/medium apples)
1 t cinnamon
½ C butter/margarine (1 stick), softened to room temperature
¾ C to 1 C sugar
¾ C flour

Lightly spray an 11×7 baking pan with cooking spray. Peel and slice the apples. Combine the remaining ingredients with a pastry cutter and mix until chunky. Lay apples in baking pan and cover with topping. Bake uncovered at 375° for 35 minutes or until bubbling and browned.

Step by Step Details

This is an easy recipe with only a few simple ingredients. If possible, use a variety of different types of apples for a more interesting blend of flavors and textures, but be sure to use several crisp, tart apples that will hold up better under baking.

First, measure out the dry ingredients and whisk then these together in a bowl. It’s just a little easier to mix them well while they are dry than when cutting into the butter, later. Set aside while the butter comes to room temperature.

Peel the apples and cut out any bad bits (holes and bruises).

Slice the apples into varying widths. Slice most of the apples about ¼-inch thick (measure this – it’s thicker than you might realize), with some a little thinner and others a little thicker. Snacking is allowed. Go ahead – they’re good for you!

Place the softened butter in a large bowl and then add the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter and mix just until chunky. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can try it with forks, but it may take a while.

Mix, scrape and scoop to get everything from the sides of the bowl, but don’t over mix. Stop when it looks like this:

If you mix it too much, especially with the butter/margarine at room temperature, then the chunks will start to stick together, making for a gloppy topping that’s hard to spread, like this:

Lay the sliced apples in the baking pan.

Pour the topping and spread it out evenly over the apples.

Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until bubbling and browned.

Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Note: this keeps on the kitchen counter for a day or so (assuming it doesn’t get eaten right away), or in the refrigerator, but don’t cover it in plastic, or the crispy topping will get soggy.