Sunday, January 11, 2009

Easy and Fast Apple Crisp!

A quick and delicious weeknight dessert!

My kids like dessert and snacks. Okay, they LOVE dessert and snacks and you know what? They get it a lot. I buy a very minimal amount of processed foods. I make our bread, all of our food, and most of their snacks.

There really are several reasons that I do this. The first being for our health. When I make them the food they are eating I know exactly what is going into their little bodies! I know they aren't getting High Fructose Corn Syrup, Red Dye #40, any of the other dyes and no artificial sugars! Are they always getting "healthy" desserts and snacks. Hell no! They have cookies, cakes, quick breads, turnovers, and whatever else I feel like making them during the day! These are some lucky kids huh?

The other night I was going out for dinner with a friend of mine and I made sure that the family had leftover pizza for dinner but I also quickly threw together a really quick apple crisp with some poorly neglected apples. I was inspired to do this after reading Kelly's post here about a very elegant Maple Oat Apple Crisp that she had made. This one needed to be quick though. So this is what I threw together...

Easy and Fast Apple Crisp (I have no idea where this is from I have used it FOREVER)

5 cups peeled, sliced apples, pears or peaches
2 - 4 Tbsp of brown sugar
1/2 cup regular Quaker Oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

  • Pre heat oven to 375°
  • Place fruit in a 8 X 1 1/2 " round baking dish (or any other small dish that you choose), stir in the 2 - Tbsp brown sugar.
  • For the topping, in a mixing bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. I usually use my fingers to do this. It seems to mix it faster.
  • Sprinkle topping over the fruit.
  • Bake in a 375° oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is a nice golden color.
  • This can be served warm with ice cream.
This recipe is incredibly versatile but the basic one I follow. Here are some changes I make
  • Throw in some dried fruit
  • Use a different shaped pan or dish
  • Add some neglected pears or berries
  • Make it smaller or larger
  • Add more crumb topping
  • Add different spices (cardamom, cloves etc.)
As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

25 comments:

Elle said...

I'm *always* up for apple crisp. Any time of the year. And I love your add-ins! I love adding different fruit, and nuts!

RecipeGirl said...

It's probably from the Quaker Oats box :)

Looks yummy. Lucky kiddos!

glamah16 said...

Looking yumm Judy. I always like how you incorporate whole wheat flour into all your baked goods. I need to follow that example.

Anonymous said...

Mmmm....this one reminds me of the recipe my brother used to use. It has the flour in it. Delicious and perfect for breakfast if you're lucky enough to have some sitting around. *sigh* I don't.

Anonymous said...

Love anything that says "fast and easy" and involves baking apples. The aroma is seductive, and it seems to fit with whatever meal came before it.

Meg said...

Delicious! I love how easy it is!

toontz said...

Mmmm...we were raised on Apple Crisp. I still make it when I am not up to baking a pie. My recipe doesn't have oats in it, and in our family we always "doubled" the crisp (more butter and sugar that way, lol)!

Patsyk said...

Love recipes like this! My husband could never turn down an apple crisp dessert. Yum!

Darius T. Williams said...

I love fast and easy...this looks like it!

Michelle said...

Gonna make this, thanks!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I might call it apple crumble instead of apple crisp but we're talking about the same thing :) I always use some oats as part of the topping and usually cinnamon but it's endlessly versatile and fabulously simple. Yum, yum, yum!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Breakfast, lunch or dinner I am always there. I know your family knows how lucky they are to have you baking bread and healthy dishes:D

Peter M said...

I love apple crisp and yes, sometimes even for brekkie!

Beyond peeling & coring the apples, crisp is pretty quick & easy...you lightning quick with that? lol

MrOrph said...

I always love a good apple crisp - especially with vanilla ice cream melting on a piece.

Quiltin Jenny said...

Thank you so much for your beautiful blog and wonderful recipes. You give me courage to try new things and experiment with food.

I've nominated you for a Brillante Weblog Award. The post linking to the rules, etc. can be found here.

Thanks again.

Jen

Thistlemoon said...

Awesome post Judy! I love that you make so much at home for your family! Instead of "Kill Your TV" it should be "Kill Processed Foods!"

Judy@nofearentertaining said...

Hey Elle-Gotta love apple crisp!

Hey Lori-You're probably right:)

Hey Courtney-Whole wheat flour takes away some of the guilt for me and makes it healthier for the girls!

Hey Kelly-You could have made this in about 35 minutes! Silly girl!

Hi Lydia-You are so right about the smell. It smells just lovely baking!

Thanks Meg!

Hey Toontz-Love more crisp!!!

Hi Patsyk-Not many do turn this dessert down!!!

Thanks DTW!!!

Glad you like it Michelle!

Hi Daily SPud-It is so versatile. Just use what you have!

Hey Val-They probably won't realize it until they are older I fear!!!

Hey Peter-Yes I am!!

Mr Orph-MMMMMMMM!

Hi Quiltin Jenny-Thanks so much for the kind words and the award!

Hey Jenn-I like Kill Processed Foods!!!

pigpigscorner said...

Sounds really simple and looks really delicious!

Brittany said...

I can't wait until my boys are more independant so I can devote more time to making everything myself, but until then, this recipe is SUPER easy!

Tangled Noodle said...

I haven't made apple crisp in a long while - this is so tempting. It's the perfect dessert for cold winter nights (especially w/a scoop of vanilla ice cream).

Anonymous said...

Well that's as good an endorsement as I've ever heard -- you don't even know where the recipe is from because it's a mainstay :)

Anonymous said...

I made this for my book club last night. I needed something fast and easy - this fit the bill (especially since I had all the ingredientson hand), even some organic apples that needed to get used. I got several requests for the recipe. Definitely a keeper!
Thanks

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Anonymous said...

Hi! I just found this recipe through a Google search, and the smell of apple crisp is wafting over to me as we speak. Can't wait to taste it, and to see what other goodies you have posted!

Thank you! :)

Karin said...

I love to add different fruits to my apple crisp to give it a unique flavor. Try adding a peach or a handful of cranberries to the mix. I also will add some nuts (walnuts or pecans) to the topping. This is a great recipe to use as a base, and then add your own embellishments that will give it your own personal flair.

If you find yourself in need of nice bowls to serve your apple crisp in, you might want to visit Splendids.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, when I am using just apples, I always use a couple of different varieties, one sweeter variety that cooks down more (usually a McIntosh) mixed with a more tart, firmer apple (like a Granny Smith).

...and I love the way my kitchen smells when I make apple crisp!!!