Apple Crisp

Nothing says fall to me like apple crisp. I love fruit crisps year-round, but fall is for apples. And, they are very easy to make. Here’s my basic recipe — feel free to adjust to whatever sounds good to you.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and get out your pan. This recipe works for an 8-inch round or square pan, so if you are making a 9-by-13 inch pan, increase all the ingredients by at least 50 percent.

Fruit Layer

5-7 baking apples (Haralson is my choice, but any baking apple will work), peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch slices

Juice of a lemon

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 TBSP flour

Place the prepped apples in a bowl with the lemon juice and toss in the sugar, spices and flour. Mix enough so the slices are coated. Set aside while you make the topping.

Topping

1 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup oats (quick cooking is good)

1 tsp (or more) cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 stick of butter, melted

1/4 cup or more chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans (optional, but delicious)

Mix the dry ingredients together, then pour on the melted butter and mix well to combine. Stir in nuts, if using.

Assembly

Pour the apples and any juices into your baking pan and spread them evenly. Then sprinkle the topping on, covering thoroughly. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the apples are bubbly, the juices thickish and the topping browned. Because apple sizes vary, you may have extra filling (or topping) or both. Just bake it off in a ramekin or smaller pan. If it is just apples, put foil on top of the small pan to bake. It makes a great topping for ice cream or yogurt. If you have extra topping, too, then you can make a special crisp for the cook!

This is fantastic with ice cream or whipped cream, and if you really want to go wild, have it for breakfast with yogurt or cottage cheese.