Granny Smith Apple Crisp

I know what you’re thinking - Apple crisp in the spring?  That’s a dessert for the fall, when there are so many apples around, you can’t walk in an orchard without squashing one. 

But it's fall in the place where Granny Smith apples originated - Australia.  The tartness of Granny Smith apples are ideal for apple crisp. 

Not that anyone needs an excuse to eat delicious apple crisp any day of the year.  At least not in my house growing up.  It was my mom’s signature dessert, always served with vanilla ice cream.  Maybe I shouldn’t call it a dessert, more like an appetizer, since it was usually gone before dinner started.

I still think of apple crisp every time I smell the warm aroma of cinnamon. 

Wait...I mean cassia.  I have to keep reminding myself that the bottle marked ‘ground cinnamon’ in my kitchen, and my mom’s kitchen, and probably your kitchen, is actually ground cassia.

Cassia may not be true cinnamon, but it has that piquant flavor which many of us have come to accept as the real thing.  While I cut down on the sugar and butter from my mom’s original recipe, I decided to stick with cassia since that is the distinct taste that I remember from my childhood apple crisp.

Before & After

What do you use in your kitchen – cinnamon or cassia?  If you’re not sure of the difference, head over to our Spices section to find out more. 

Apple Crisp by Season with Spice
serves 8-10 

Ingredients:
Base:
5 apples (Granny Smith works best)
1/3 cup sugar (raw or white)
2 tbls flour
1/2 tsp ground cassia (or real cinnamon if you have it)

Crust:
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats or quick oats
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup butter -softened

The process:
1.  Peel, then slice the apples.
2.  Preheat the oven to 350F (or 175C).
3.  For the base, mix the apple slices, sugar, flour, and cassia (or cinnamon) in a bowl.  Stir thoroughly to make sure the cassia is spread evenly over the apple slices, and then transfer the base to a 9" x 9" greased pan. 
4.  For the crust, mix the brown sugar, oats, flour, and butter. Then roll up your sleeves and grab the dough, and start breaking small chunks off and dropping them evenly over the apples.
5.  Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, and then remove and let cool for 30 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long).
6.  If reheating the next day, bake for 5 minutes at 350F (200C), and then broil it for 2-3 minutes to get the crunch back in the crust.

 Try this apple crisp with Chocolate Nutmeg Ice Cream!