We officially marked the start of fall on this Sunday by heading out to pick our own apples, catching some lunch and the Giants game, and then finishing the day off by baking up an Apple Crisp.
On our adventure this morning, my son declared that he would like to take a “field trip” apple picking every day. Certainly, there was great joy to be had for him (and his dad and sister) in twisting the apple off the branch and sneaking big bites before reaching the check out line.
At the farm, we were able to purchase — not pick — a large bag of Honeycrisp apples, which are by far my favorite “eating” apple out there. They are true nectar of the gods. My son Geordie has eaten 3 already today.
Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the main apples available to us to pick today were “Liberty” – a tarter apple best baked as opposed to eaten raw.
Candidly, I would have preferred to simply lie on the couch and watch more football this afternoon. But my daughter dragged me off my butt to make this Apple dessert instead. We certainly had enough tart baking apples for it, and the rest of the ingredients were available in the pantry, so there really was no reason not to do it.
I located this simple Apple Crisp recipe at momswhothink.com. I like that it doesn’t have a whole ton of ingredients and no exotic ones either. It was a simple recipe to follow and execute with my two sous chefs aged 3 1/2 and almost 7. My daughter was able to spread the sliced apples in the greased pan, sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over them and then helped me spread the crumble topping over top. My son participated by enthusiastically scooping and dumping sugar and flour into the bowl (read: mess made!). All in all, the prep time was pretty limited and not too long so the kids stayed interested the whole time. Now waiting for nearly 45 minutes for the Apple Crisp to bake and another 15 or so for it to cool was not exactly easy for my apple loving crew, but the result was well worth the wait!
Sophie remarked that it was “just lovely” and Geordie is still begging me for his third helping. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
- 6 cups peeled, sliced apples (about 6 large apples)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Place apples in a greased 8-inch square baking dish or a 1½ quart casserole.
- Combine the granulated sugar and the cinnamon, stirring well.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over apples.
- Combine the flour, dark brown sugar, butter and vanilla; mixing with a spoon until a crumbly mixture is formed and all ingredients are well blended.
- Spread this mixture over the sugared apples.
- Bake the apple crisp in a 350-degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the topping is a golden brown.
- Serve the apple crisp warm, topped with ice cream.
