Hangry in Maine

It has been at least 90° every day this week….swamp ass season is in full force and I am honestly completely over it. I have been counting down the days until fall since the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup on June 17th.

With fall season comes the much heated debate, apple cider or pumpkin spice? And I, for one, am an apple/cider girly. So, let me introduce you to the only apple recipe you’ll need this fall, my mom, Melissa’s, apple crisp recipe. Now, this is not just any apple crisp recipe; this is THE apple crisp recipe.

The one that magically appears in my mom’s kitchen every fall, the one that disappears before it even cools, the one that I’ve eaten cold out of the refrigerator with my bare hands at 3 in the morning….(remember, this is a judgement free zone), and the one that made me realize fruit can be dessert if you bury it under enough butter and brown sugar.

The secret? She doubles the topping–always has, and always will. Because why pretend that we’re here for the apples?

Honestly, this is a fall breakfast food too…It has apples, and oats, and a questionable amount of butter–you know, the holy trinity of all things fall.

What You’ll Need

• An 8 X 8 baking pan
  For the Apple Filling
• 4-5 Big Apples–peeled, cored, and thinly slice
  • I like to use a combination of Gala & Granny Smith Apples, for a balance of sweet & tart
• Cinnamon (to taste)
• Nutmeg (to taste)
• 2 TBSP Brown Sugar
• 2 TBSP Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
  For a Single Batch of Topping (double it to make it authentic)
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 3/4 Cup Oats
• 3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 Stick Cold Butter, Unsalted
• Optional: 1/3 Cup Chopped Pecans (or preferred nut)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and move your rack to the center. Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan and set aside.
   You’re about to make your house smell like every good fall memory you’ve ever had.
2. Prep the apples.
   Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toss them with brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Spread evenly in your greased 8 x 8 pan, and sprinkle your little pieces of butter all over the top.
3. Make the topping (AKA the entire point of this recipe)
   Mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, (and nuts if you’re adding them). Mix well. Cut your stick of butter into small cubes, add cubes into your oat mixture and use your hands to cut the butter into the mixture until it turns into a crumbly mess of joy
4. DOUBLE THE TOPPING
   This is not a drill or a suggestion (it is…you can actually do whatever you want, you’re your own person). We don’t skimp. Cover those apples in a thick blanket of buttery, crumbly, crisp topping…like you’re tucking them in for a nice, warm nap
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes
   Until the top is golden brown, like the color of Simba, and the apples are bubbling.
6. Cool slightly, then serve
   Best served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and a drizzle of caramel. Or even served cold for breakfast, with some plain or vanilla Greek yogurt.

Final Thoughts

Apple crisp doesn’t need a sales pitch…it’s fruit and oats disguised as dessert, which means it’s totally acceptable for breakfast. It’s truly the best of both worlds. My mom’s version just happens to come with a reckless amount of topping (the only way it should be done, honestly). Serve it hot, cold, a la mode, or straight out of the pan–no judgement here. It’s cozy, it’s nostalgic, it’s a little extra…just like my mom, just how I love it.