Cinnamon Apple Crisp -

When I first started collecting recipes I used an old photo album I got when I was junior high to hold the recipe cards. The first few recipes I transcribed were family favorites. After that, I moved on to the cookbooks in my mom’s pantry. After I was done with that, I collected recipes from my friends and the people I worked with at the time.

I was working full-time (and going to college full-time) at a small television station in Wichita Falls, Texas: KAUZ. That job was my first, and certainly not my last, foray into working holidays. TV stations never take a day off.

Thankfully, TV people are always a starving bunch. That means we throw our own potlucks, especially around the holidays. Because of my KAUZ Thanksgiving potluck years, I was introduced to a ton of holiday foods I would have never eaten before. My family has their classics (like most families do) and we rarely stray from it.

I tried sweet potatoes that weren’t sliced and smothered in marshmallows thanks to that job. I ate desserts that weren’t pumpkin or pecan pies. Tamales made appearances around Christmastime.

There’s nothing wrong with family favorites, but it’s awesome to try other people’s family favorites.

That’s where this recipe comes from. Sam, the woman I got the recipe from, worked with me at KAUZ. I knew her before that job, though. She was a student of my stepdad’s and then my mom’s (stepdad taught high school theater, my mom was a college theater professor).

She brought this apple crisp to a Thanksgiving potluck one year and I HAD to have the recipe. It’s so simple, yet so delicious. Bonus: it requires no pie crust. Ain’t nobody got time to roll out pastry while cooking an 11 course meal for Thanksgiving.

From Sam’s family to mine, and now to yours. I hope you enjoy this classic dessert.

P.S.: I had to take this dish to a Friendsgiving luncheon after making it, so I couldn’t cut into it and show you the inside. Sorry!

P.P.S: The original recipe does NOT include a baking time. I always set my timer for 20 minutes to start out, then another 15 after that. The apple crisp is usually done after 35ish minutes.

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

Servings: 8-10
Time: 40 mins
Difficulty: Easy
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A classic, rustic apple crisp that's sweet and cinnamony.

Ingredients

For the crisp portion:

1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 eggs (depending on size), unbeaten
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the apples:

6-7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
2 TBS. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Dash nutmeg & salt
2 TBS. butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Make the apple portion: in a large bowl, stir together apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour into prepared pan and dot with butter.
Make the crisp topping: sift together baking powder, salt, sugar, and flour. Add an egg to the mix and stir together using hands, until mixture is crumbly. If too much flour is leftover, add another egg and mix until you get the desired crumbly texture.
Pour crisp portion ontop of apples in pan. Drizzle melted butter on top and sprinkle cinnamon over that.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly, crisp on top, and apples are tender.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Make the apple portion: in a large bowl, stir together apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour into prepared pan and dot with butter.

Make the crisp topping: sift together baking powder, salt, sugar, and flour.

Add an egg to the mix and stir together using hands, until mixture is crumbly. If too much flour is leftover, add another egg and mix until you get the desired crumbly texture.