Perfect Apple Crisp

They say that a big old snowstorm is headed our way. I sure hope so. I so love a good snowstorm. I don't know why, maybe it's because as long as it's cold, the earth surely looks better in a blanket of pure white, plus it gives us all who are normally cooped up, something to do.

We can shovel or snow blow it, ski, skate, sled, snowmobile, all kinds of S activities are associated with the S word....SNOW!

Besides that, big old Dixie, our 1999 Suburban, loves to come out and play in 4WD in the snow....sometimes we have to have an adventure and the tow strap is always under the front passenger seat.

Another thing that snow is good for is snugglin' up in the evenin' for good, hot food: comfort food. And I have a good recipe for that kind of night that will not only taste good, it will make your house smell wonderful and with a nice, hot cup of coffee, you'll enjoy watching the wind and the snow come down outside those steamed-up windows.

APPLE CRISP!

This apple crisp recipe has dried cranberries in it, which makes for a tart, tangy surprise in the sweetness of the apples. For this recipe, I used my canned apple pie filling and it worked out perfectly....

AUTUMN APPLE CRISP
(It's still Autumn until December 21st!)

3/4 c + 1/2 T all purpose flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick cold butter, in chunks
1/2 c. chopped pecans, chopped
2-1/2 lb. apples, peeled and
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/4 maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. For the topping, put 3/4 c. flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and butter in a food processor and pulse to form moist clusters. Mix in pecans.

2. Cut the apples into 1/2" chunks and put them into a buttered 9-1/2", 2 qt. pie pan (or use an 8 x 8" pan, I used glass). Add cranberries, maple syrup, and 1/2 T. flour; mix. Scatter on the topping.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until bubbly and top is crisp along the edges. Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled. Can be reheated in the microwave and served with a petite scoop of vanilla ice cream, as shown.

Serves 10

This apple crisp is delicious and I think it's important to use the old-fashioned oats, and the chopped pecans are PERFECT in a crisp topping, making it more crisp than usual! I ripped the recipe from a recent copy of the PARADE magazine that comes in Sunday's newspaper.


Since I have canned my apple pie filling, I am able to skip the peeling and chopping of apples in this recipe, and just mix the topping, and I did not use the maple syrup.