Apple Crisp!

Fall has officially begun. And having grown up in the north (and despite having lived on the southeast coast for the past 6 years), I am programmed to crave fall things beginning around the 3rd week of September. Foods like apple cider, candy corn, pumpkin-flavored things and apple crisp. Especially apple crisp.

Almost exactly a year ago, I discovered a fantastic Apple Crisp Recipe on AllRecipes.com. I chose this recipe over all the others simply because it had almost 1000 reviews, which have now turned into over 2000. However, the posted recipe needed some tweaking. One reviewer suggested halving the amount of water in the recipe, which was certainly a wise way to go.

However, I felt there was yet more tweaking to be done. Less sugar, more cinnamon. Always more cinnamon. There may yet be more tweaking to be done (perhaps some apple cider in place of the water, necessitating a further reduction in sugar, or perhaps the cider's alcoholic cousin?) but this is the current iteration of my apple crisp. For those of you who work with me, this is not the apple crisp I brought to work last week. This is the new, improved version, which will likely not make it through the weekend and into lab. Sorry!

Firmer, slightly tart apples are best for this sort of baking. If you prefer your apple crisp with skin-on apples, go for an apple with a thinner skin. Generally, Fuji or Granny Smith apples are considered the best North American apples for baking, but you can use any variety you like. I have used Red Delicious, Gala and Fuji in the past. For extra excitement, you could even combine apple types to have the brightness of a Granny Smith with the sweetness of Fuji.


Holly's Almost-Famous Apple Crisp

Filling:
10 cups (about 3-4 lbs, or 2 or 3 apples short of a full bag) of apples, peeled (optional), cored and chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T all-purpose flour
1 t cinnamon
1/4 cup water

Topping:
1 cup quick-cook oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place your chopped apples into a 9" x 13" baking dish, spreading them to an even layer. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 T all-purpose flour and 1 t cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the chopped apples, then pour the water evenly over the coated apples. In a bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients EXCEPT BUTTER and stir until evenly mixed. Pour your melted butter over top of the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Your mixture will not hold together, but intsead will be somewhat crumbly. Crumble the topping evenly over the top of the apples. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes, at which point the edges should be bubbling away merrily. Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before you enjoy!

I find that this apple crisp really needs no garnishing, but it could be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream if so desired.