When my kids were little guys, my husband and I would take them up to the mountains to pick apples. It was a family tradition that announced the arrival of Fall. We’d get a few apples picked before they started throwing them at each other, which usually indicated it was time to go back home.
With my newly harvested apples, I’d throw together an apple crisp since it was the easiest dessert to make with two little kids running around the kitchen. The aroma of the apple crisp baking in the oven filled the house with the warm sweet smells of autumn.
Today, life is busier, and we don’t get to the mountains as much as we used to. But our local farmers market has beautiful baskets of apples that I can grab and use to make a satisfying and comforting dessert my family has come to expect when the leaves start to change for the season.
Let me know when you make this recipe. Take a picture and hashtag it #QUEENCITYKITCHEN. I can’t wait to see what you post!
Maple Apple Crisp
Makes 8 servings
3 pounds apples (suggested: variety Gala, Fuji and Golden Delicious)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch kosher salt
Topping
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
⅓ cup chopped pecans
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Peel, core, and cut the apples into wedges. Combine the apples with the lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Transfer the apples to the baking dish.
To make the topping, combine the flour, oats, pecans, sugars, salt, and cold butter in a medium bowl. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the apples.
Place the baking dish on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.