4-5Granny Smith apples, (see notes for types of apples to use)
¼cup(50 g) granulated sugar
1Tablespoonflour
1tablespoonfresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon
½teaspoongrated lemon zest
Instructions
Crisp Topping
Food processor method: In a food processor, place the flour, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse 10 times, about 4 seconds each pulse, until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the pecans and pulse about 5 times, each 1 second each, until the nuts are chopped. The mixture will look like wet sand with some clumps. Avoid over-processing.
Make by hand: Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Add cold butter pieces and using a pastry cutter (or two forks) cut the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly and resembles coarse, wet sand. Stir in coarsely chopped pecans if using.
Place the mixture into a bowl and in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes while the filing is prepared.
Apple Filling
Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 375° F.
Peel, core and cut the apples into slices about ¼-inch thick. Place the apples in a large bowl and toss them with the lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar. Transfer the mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle the chilled topping over the apple mixture evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes at 375° F. It is done when the filling bubbles and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm on its own or with vanilla ice cream and caramel.
Notes
Best apples: I suggest using a mix of apples. I prefer half Granny Smith and half Honeycrisp. Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Gala and Northern Spy work well too.Double the recipe: This recipe can be doubled and served in a 13x9 baking dish. Increase baking time to 55 minutes.Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freezing instructions: Let crisp cool completely. Wrap is securely and store in a flat surface in your freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, cover crisp with aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer to crisp the topping.