A BATF Thanksgiving: Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp Recipe

Kirsten is back with a recipe for my favorite part of the meal – dessert! We were so excited to dig in that we forgot to take pictures, but a visual isn’t really needed, I can assure you this apple crisp recipe rocks!

Kirsten writes:

Happy Thanksgiving week! If you need a supplement to your pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, here’s an easy and seasonal dessert to add to your table that doesn’t involve fussing with a pie crust. It’s hard to go wrong with a crumble/crisp topping and this version of apple crisp from Barefoot Contessa is delicious with the addition of both lemon and orange juice to the apples--it breaks up the sweetness a bit with a little citrus zing. You’ll have to roll up your sleeves to peel all those apples, but with helpers like Emily and Megan I had no trouble at all! At the time I couldn’t find McIntosh apples, but I thought Granny Smith apples worked just fine or you could also try this version with pears — yum! I also added about 3/4 cup of chopped pecans to the topping mixture to give it even more crunch.

I’m dreaming of making this again soon, but next time maybe I’ll add a little caramel sauce and/or some salted caramel ice cream from Molly Moon’s. Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving!

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp (courtesy of Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients
5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.
2. Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.
3. To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.
4. Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.