Maple Apple Crisp

Lately, I’ve been embracing the fall weather, and one of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. When I came home with a bushel of apples, I knew I had to find some great recipes for them, and this was one of the stand-outs. The combination of apples and maple syrup in this crisp is fantastic, and I loved eating it warm with some yogurt on top (I’ve been enjoying the tartness of yogurt to complement the sweetness of baked goods – but I won’t judge if you use ice cream) and a drizzle of maple syrup. The walnuts help add an extra crunch to the topping and are highly recommended even if you’re not typically a fan of nuts in baked goods. This recipe is especially handy because you can really use any variety of apples (or a mixture of varieties) which is a godsend when you went apple picking and completely forgot which apples were which.

Maple Apple Crisp (adapted from A Full Measure of Happiness)
Yield: 9″x9″ pan

Ingredients:

• 8-10 apples, thinly sliced*
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour**
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup halved walnuts
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 4 Tbsp cold butter, diced
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• freshly grated nutmeg***

*Peel the apples if you wish, but I didn’t bother with mine. You can also cut the apples into small chunks rather than thinly slicing, up to you.
**Feel free to substitute regular all-purpose flour.
***You can use 1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg instead, but there’s something really fun about grating the nutmeg over the top of the crisp at the end.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine 8-10 apples, thinly sliced, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon. Toss thoroughly to combine, then transfer into a 9″x9″ pan.
3. In a large bowl, place 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup halved walnuts, 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, 4 Tbsp cold butter, diced, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix together (your hands will work best here because of the walnuts) until the butter is evenly distributed in small chunks.
4. Lightly pack the topping over the apples, then sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg (the easiest way is to grate it directly over top).
5. Bake until the apples are bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour.
6. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.