An even BETTER Apple Crisp

I shared with you an apple crisp recipe not too long ago – it was one of the best ones I’ve had in a long time. But, I have continued to tweak the recipe and I think I have an even BETTER recipe to share with you.

I made it Sunday to have as dessert after dinner with friends.  Everyone agreed it was fabulous.  And, SuperMan and I have eaten leftovers for breakfast a couple times this week – it makes an awesome breakfast – think Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal but in the best possible way.

One of the secrets to the new and improved recipe is using Grape Nuts cereal as part of the topping. I found just plain oatmeal was a little too soft and not “crispy” enough for me. I wanted a little crunch, but didn’t want to use nuts (the girls don’t care for nuts) in the topping.

I just happened to be reading my December/January issue of Cook’s Country magazine and they had a recipe for a low-fat apple crisp.  I decided to combine the top half of their recipe with the bottom half of my original recipe.  I also added raisins for a little more fruity goodness…

The result?

Yummy.

If you are looking for something to add to your holiday menu, I would strongly suggest this little dish.  The version below makes a 9×13 dish and I served it with frozen vanilla yogurt and caramel sauce. *swoon*

Here’s the recipe.

Don’t be afraid to try a little for breakfast! It’s so good… and it’s full of the same breakfast-y ingredients we eat anyway – fruit, oatmeal, cereal, etc.  Why not?

Even Better Apple Crisp

Topping:

1 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp salted butter, diced into cubes and chilled
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Filling:

10 cups of apples, peeled, cored & sliced (I used honey crisp apples)
1 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup apple cider (or juice)

Instructions:

1. Place the sliced apples in a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples.
4. Pour the apple cider over the apples.
5. In a large bowl, mix the topping ingredients, adding the butter last and using your fingers to mash the butter into the topping ingredients.
6. Sprinkle the topping over the apple mixture, spreading to evenly cover the apples.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and topping is a deep golden brown. 
8. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Note: I use my apple slicer to make my slices because I like big, chunky pieces of the apple in my crisp.  You can use diced apples or smaller slices if you choose, I just prefer to have more discrete bites of fruit in my crisp.