No Fuss Cinnamon Apple Crisp

Winter is winding down in Chicago, but the chill of Lake Michigan still lingers walking home from school.
Nothing quite defines comfort and warmth like apples, sugar and spice...all baking together and welcoming you as you walk thru the door

But, rather than tackling pie crusts, and other advanced level baking skills, let's keep it simple and keep it all about the comfort and flavor.

If you like other fruits, give it a shot and experiment. This recipe is about as foolproof as they come...unless you walk away and burn the whole thing to a crisp. No pun intended.

(Adapted as posted on Epicurious from Bon Appetit 1993 by Fran Love. Raleigh, NC)

FYI-most cooking from North Carolina tastes really good.

Equipment:
13" x 9" Pyrex dish
Mixing Bowls
Pastry blender (or your hands and a fork)

Apple Corer (or simple paring knife to halve, quarter, and "eigth")

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lbs of Granny Smith Apples, or a mix of any other apples
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbls ground cinnamon
1-2 Tbls lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled, diced

Instructions:
1. Wash hands.
2. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
3. Butter the Pyrex dish.

4. Peel apples, core, and chop into equal pieces into a large mixing bowl.  Toss in lemon juice.
5. Add granulated sugar.
6. Add cinnamon and stir to coat all apples.
7. Pour apples into prepared Pyrex dish.

8. Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter
9. Use pastry cutter, or your hands to mash everything into a clumpy, coarse meal.
10. Sprinkle on top of apples

11. Bake crisp @ 450F degrees for 20 min.
12. Reduce temperature to 350F degrees and bake for another 30 minutes.
13. Let cool for 15 minutes.

14. Serve with vanilla ice cream and/or whipping cream.