Granny Smith Apple Crisp

Saturday night we had a few friends over, and the millions of Granny Smiths screaming Fall in the grocery store made an apple crisp the obvious after dinner choice.  Before I make a dessert I like to consult 3 people: Paula, Ina & Alton.  This time Ina (Barefood Contessa) had the recipes that caught my eye.  I used both her Old Fashioned Apple Crisp and her Apple & Pear Crisp, and then made some changes of my own.  Namely, granny smith apples, a little less sugar, more brown sugar instead of white, no orange juice or zest, and no lemon zest.  I believe Ina that the orange "works",  I just don't like orange that much and I was worried the zest would add too much sour with the naturally tart Granny Smiths.



Peel and core the apples... I really wanted one of those pictures where the peel is perfectly spiraled. Oh well, reality wins again.



Slice the apples into fairly thin wedges, then squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over them...



Mix in 1/2 c. brown sugar, 3 T white sugar, 1/4 c. flour, 1 tea cinnamon and 1/2 tea nutmeg...



Set aside, and begin on the crisp.

1/2 lb of butter. Doesn't that sound dramatic? 2 sticks sounds a lot less like a heart attack. So, cut up 2 sticks of cold butter and add to: 1 1/4 c. flour, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/2 tea salt, 3/4 c. old-fashioned oats.



Cut the butter into the dry mix (a pastry cutter would work perfectly, I just used a butter knife and fork) until the butter is "pea sized".  Evenly distribute the crispy crust over the apple mixture.



*Note: Next time I make this I will use a longer, shallower baking pan (9x13).  This pan was plenty large, but too deep.  A 9x13 would have a thinner layer of apples and crust, allowing for more even cooking and crispness.

Even so, the crust turned out crispy and delicious. Seems to be a pattern among things containing 2 sticks of butter...



And the filling was a nice balance of sweet and tart.

Lastly, but maybe most importantly, top with a healthy serving of vanilla bean ice cream.



Perfect for a Fall evening, Enjoy!

Click below for full recipe



Granny Smith Apple Crisp (Adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients- Filling

• 8 large Granny Smith apples


• Juice of 1 lemon


• 1/2 cup brown sugar


• 3 T white sugar


• 1/4 cup flour


• 1 tea cinnamon


• 1/2 tea nutmeg

Ingredients- Crust

• 1 1/4 cup flour


• 1/4 cup white sugar


• 1/2 cup brown sugar


• 1/2 tea salt


• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats


• 2 sticks of cold butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F

Filling

• Peel, core and slice apples, toss with lemon juice


• Stir in remaining ingredients


• Place in 9x13 greased baking dish

Topping

• In separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients for the crust


• Cut in cold butter until it is well incorporated- pea sized pieces of butter remaining


• Evenly distribute the topping over the apples


• Bake for 45 min - 1 hr, until the crust is browning and the filling is bubbling through