Apple Crisp

Growing up in Ohio, my favorite time of year was early Fall when I'd go apple picking at the local orchard with my mom and grandma.  We'd get several bushels of Cortland apples, eating a few in the orchard for a snack while we picked more apples.  Over the next few weeks, I'd eat several apples a day, and my mom would make big pans of apple crisp for dessert.

Now that I live in Los Angeles, I find it impossible to get my hands on Cortland apples, but my mom still makes apple crisp in the Fall.  In fact, she just made a batch last night.  Any good cooking apple will do, but if you can find Cortland, use those!

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
2/3 c sugar
2 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
6-8 tart apples (6 cups when pared, cored and sliced)

(for the topping)
1/2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c butter



Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine first 3 ingredients and stir into apples.  Then put the apples in a baking pan.

For the topping, combine the flour and sugar in a small bowl.  Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle the crumbles over the apples.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the topping is golden and the apples are tender and juicy.

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I especially love this apple crisp topped with vanilla ice-cream.

This definitely isn't a healthy recipe, but you could substitute Splenda for the sugar if you wanted to save a few calories.  Or, there's always portion control.  Leftovers reheat well in the microwave.  :)

Happy eating!