It took me a long time to find an apple dessert I truly love. This crisp is the one, with apples tossed in cream, plenty of dark brown sugar and cozy spices. As it bakes, the apples soften and the cream and sugar turn almost to caramel. It’s on the sweeter side, so a big scoop of vanilla ice cream is a must.
Baker’s Notes
• I love a mix of tart and sweet apples here. Granny Smith keep their shape and bring the tartness, and a sweeter apple softens around them — I used Fuji, though Pink Lady or Honeycrisp are just as good. I usually go with four Granny Smith to two sweet apples.
• If you prefer a less sweet crisp, reduce the brown sugar in the filling to ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 g).
• The crumble can be made ahead and kept covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Apple Crisp
Description
Adapted from Christina Rossetti
Ingredients
Apple Filling
6 medium-large apples, peeled, cored, cut into ¼-inch slices and halved crosswise
3/4 cup (150) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon allspice
Pinch of cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (75 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Crumble Topping
1 cup (90 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (125 g) dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (60 g) pecans or walnuts, chopped
¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9 × 9-inch or similarly sized oval baking dish and set it on a baking sheet.
- Combine the brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, cream and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the apples and toss until evenly coated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips, squeezing as you go until you have large clumps with some loose crumbs. Fold in the nuts.
- Transfer the apples to the baking dish and scatter the crumble over the top.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes, until the filling is bubbling in the center, the apples are completely tender and the crumble is golden brown.
- Let rest for at least 20 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream.
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