Just Baking

Recently we enjoyed a bit of fall family fun by taking a trip to a local farm for some apple picking. It was a warm fall day, overcast and gently humid, and we had a really awesome time picking our way through the rows of apples, selecting from among the seven or eight varieties that were ripe at the time, eating apples from the tree as we went.

For this recipe, I suggest a combination of baking apple varieties. The sugar crumble and the brown sugar stirred into the apples adds plenty of sweetness, so you can use the more tart types if you prefer them. Choose at least one apple that holds it’s shape well when baking, or you’ll end up with apple mush (though it will still taste delicious). For the crisp pictured here, I used a combination of Golden Delicious and Stayman-Winesap.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

You can dice your apples or slice them, or do both - it’s really a matter of personal preference. Serve this warm with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream!

For Brown Sugar Crumble:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
• 1 cup oats (rolled or quick cooking; not instant)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

For Apples Mixture:

• 8 medium baking apples
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries or 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

1. For Crumble: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture forms pea-sized clumps with no visible butter showing through. Add walnuts and stir. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Slice or coarsely dice apples and add to baking dish. Scatter cranberries over apples, sprinkle with brown sugar, and toss to mix.
3. Using the back of a spoon, level the surface of the apples in the casserole dish and drop the crumb topping over the tables in heaping spoonfuls. Cover the whole surface of the apples, but you don’t need to level the crumble.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the center of the crisp passes easily through the apples. If the topping is browning too quickly, just cover the dish loosely with a sheet of foil.
5. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy plain or with whipped cream or ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat in the microwave or standard oven before serving.

Makes 8 servings.