Thanks to our early ancestors and dedicated heritage apple saviors, we can enjoy the subtle flavors, textures and aromas of dozens of varieties of America’s favorite fruit: apples. Bright red apples made into delicate pink sauce, cinnamon flecked apples in pies or crisps, tart apples for snacks, and freshly pressed apples in tangy cider.
There are hundreds of varieties, but four major categories. Firm-tart apples like Granny Smith, Rhode Island Greening and Northern Spy and firm-sweet apples like Golden Delicious and Pink Lady are best for baking. Tender-tart apples like McIntosh, Cortland and Macoun break down easily during cooking, and make a superb sauce. Tender-sweet apples, like Gala and Fuji are delicious in salads and eaten out of hand.
Apple picking is a favorite family activity, and the good times are easily continued in the kitchen. Learning to peel and core an apple is an invaluable skill, appropriate for kindergarten –age and older folks. Knife knowledge is the foundation of becoming a chef, and often the difference between loving or hating to cook.
Candy Apple Crisp is the perfect family recipe with lots of opportunities for hands-on peeling and slicing. Sampling of apples is strongly encouraged.
The topping can be easily whipped up in a food processor, even made in advance. The combination of rolled oats and flour, sweetened with a touch of sugar, liberally spiced and combined with butter cooks up, well, just like candy.
Try preparing this crisp with different varieties of apples, and compare the tastes. I first made it with Milton apples, a variety developed by crossing a Macintosh apple with a yellow transparent.
This recipe scales up easily for potlucks and food service. For our daughter’s Emily’s wedding, we made two large pans, one with Macouns, an apple with parents of Macintosh and Jersey Black. The second apple we sampled were Empires, a Macintosh and Red Delicious cross. No matter the apple variety, everyone agreed that this crisp tastes just like candy!
CANDY APPLE CRISP
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 cups peeled apple slices (about 8 apples)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ¼ cup butter at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan.
- Peel the apples and slice them into a bowl.
- Add the ¼ cup sugar and 1-teaspoon cinnamon and toss to coat well. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the ½ cup oatmeal until it is fine.
- Add the ½ cup all purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Pulse to combine. Then add the butter and pulse to combine.
- Pour the apples in the prepared pan. Spread the topping over the apples. Bake until the apples are cooked and the juices turn clear, about 40 – 45 minutes.
- If desired, serve with ice cream or whipped cream.