Ruby’s Apple Crisp Recipe

Here’s a dish you can easily do with the kids. (Or bake it while they’re busy, so they don’t know they’re eating fibre!)

Ruby’s Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

10 - 14 apples, sliced

2/3 (about 160 mL) white sugar

2 tbsp (30mL) all-purpose flour

2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon or apple spice

zest of one lemon or orange (optional)

1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (125mL) butter or margarine

1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp (roughly 1 mL) baking powder

1/4 tsp (roughly 1 mL) baking soda

1 cup (250 mL) oats

1/2 cup (125 mL) wheat germ

1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped walnuts (optional)

I make this in my 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Core and peel the apples, and cut them up. Some recipes call for them to be sliced thinly but I prefer thicker pieces. I’ve also seen some folks leave the skin on, to boost the fibre content. I don’t much care for it this way myself, but do try if this appeals to you (excuse the pun!)

As for choice of apples, I like to use 2-3 types together if I have them on hand. Spartans are good for baking, as are Granny Smith, though the latter are pricier. Around here we get a lot of Cortland and Empire, which I quite like in my crisp. If you can get your hands on Ida Reds you can make a “Ruby Red Apple Crisp.” If all you have is McIntosh, these work just fine too.

You may need to adjust the amount of sugar if your apples are very tart or sweet. This is a bit of trial and error, but personally I find the topping is sweet enough and will sometimes completely omit the sugar in the apples. Mix the cut apples with the sugar, flour, spice and zest. Lay out in your baking dish. I often omit the flour, especially if I’m using the zest.

To make the topping cut cold butter into the brown sugar to distribute it evenly, then just stir in the other ingredients. If you really like spice you can add a touch to the topping as well. Pat it down over the apples.

You can use regular all purpose flour instead of whole wheat. We just prefer whole wheat in our house for baking. If you can’t get wheat germ or flax seed don’t worry. Your topping will be perfectly fine without it. Any kind of nut or seed could be used, instead of the walnuts. I knew a woman who used sunflower seeds, which I think would have been quite tasty if she had toasted them first.

Bake your apple crisp 45 minutes at 350°F (175°C.) Serve warm with a bit of heavy cream or vanilla ice cream. It’s just as good cold the next day, though. This is one of the few sweet things I’ll let the kids eat for breakfast when there are left-overs. It’s sweet, but between the apples and the oatmeal I figure it’s better than a chocolate chip muffin!