Fall Fever

Hey all - thanks for sticking with me while my internet was out. I'm up and running now and all set to post away :)

This post, as mentioned, is a bit different that what I normally do. I was sick with the stomach bug all weekend and finally felt a bit better on Sunday Funday, so I went into the craft room and quickly ran right back out. Why? Because it was straight up freezing in there - around 50 degrees. I love you guys... but that just wasn't going to happen.

So, since it's finally feeling like fall, I decided to do some baking to warm up the house. What better place to find a delicious fall baking creation? Why hello there, Pinterest. Besides, my kitchen was all spic and span and I couldn't let that go for long.

I decided to make a Crock Pot Apple Crisp. See all those apples in that basket there? Neither my husband nor I enjoyed them to snack on, so my options were: wait until they go bad or find something to bake. I decided with the latter, as I wasn't about to waste them. Plus, I wanted to get rid of them so I could convince my husband to take me apple picking. Don't really have a leg to stand on when asking to go apple picking when there's a basket of apples on the counter...

So I got all the ingredients together. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of all the ingredients lined up on the counter (I'm not used to this foodie stuff), but I did get a picture of the most unappetizing "crumb" topping I've ever made in my life.

It was not looking promising at this point, but I powered through because that is what I do for you all. You're welcome.

I also powered through because I was super excited to use my spice rack. *You can see how I made it here.*

Once my gross "crumb" topping was created, along with a cornstarch mixture, I peeled 9 apples. Then, once I realized that my triangle was not complete, I peeled the 10th one to top it off.

Once the apples were peeled (sorta), cored and cut, I threw it all into the Crock Pot. I tossed in the cornstarch mixture along with some apple cider vinegar (it calls for lemon juice but I don't own it), then topped it with my "crumb" topping.

From there it was just a matter of turning it on and letting it go - which is the absolute beauty of a crock pot. Since our internet and cable were both out all night, my husband and I snuggled in for an afternoon/night of movie watching. A few hours later, we had some hot apple crisp to warm us up, since we are too cheap to turn our furnace on. Don't judge - that shit's expensive :)

 

Unfortunately, I was too busy thinking "oh please don't let this suck" while I was scooping into it to think about taking an "after" picture, but basically just imagine the above picture but fluffier. The result? It was actually pretty dang delicious. Put delicious along with "ease of baking" and you have a perfect dessert for this girl.  

 

The original recipe can be found at www.keyingredient.com (link is on my Pinterest), but I'll type it out for you because I'm nice like that. Plus, I still feel bad about not posting yesterday.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 cup chopped walnuts (I used almonds, which I just had on hand)

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon *yes, again. don't judge it, just do it*

6 cups apples, cored peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice (apple cider vinegar turned out okay, I guess)

 

Directions

1) Mix flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a bowl. Combine butter with the flour mixture using fingers *I used my fingers. Not recommended. It's messy as hell* or a fork until course crumbs form *Or until you give up because it's gross, like I did* Stir in walnuts and set aside.

2) Whisk together 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Place the apples in a slow cooker, stir in the cornstarch mixture and toss with lemon juice *or vinegar, if you're a rebel* Sprinkle walnut crumb topping on top. *Or mash it because "sprinkling" was not happening with this globby nightmare* Cover and cook on High for 2 hours *that's what I did - ain't nobody got time for 4 hours on low* or Low for 4 hours, until apples are tender. Partially uncover the slow cooker to allow the topping to harden, about 1 hour.

 

This is where I may or may not have messed up. I was unsure what that last sentence meant - do I uncover it for the last hour of my two hours, or is this another hour on top of my two hours? Do I turn it off? Tell me, recipe, tell me! But it didn't, so I just uncovered it after two hours, shut off the cooker, and let it sit for about 45 minutes. The top didn't get crispy, but I have a strong feeling that it was not the fault of timing - I mean, did you see the above pictures of the "crumb" topping?

 

All in all, this was quite delicious, albeit not perfect, and I would certainly make it again.

 

As always, feel free to comment below or send your thoughts, ideas, complaints and refashions of your own to thriftysew@gmail.com.