Maple Oatmeal Apple Crisp

I love apple crisp, and I love maple oatmeal so it definitely wasn't a big stretch to combine the two.  I know many people make fruit crisps with oatmeal in the topping, but this was a first for me.  This particular recipe came about because I was out of brown sugar.  Every apple crisp recipe I could find called for brown sugar.  There was no time for a trip to the store, so I had to improvise.  I've read that you can make brown sugar by adding molasses to granulated sugar, but  I didn't have any molasses either.  So I began thinking what else might make a good substitute and started searching the cabinets.  Even though I didn't have brown sugar or molasses, I did have good old fashioned maple syrup!  So why not give it a try.  And voila, maple oatmeal apple crisp was born! (Well not born, but baked!  You get the picture!)

Using this quick and easy apple-oatmeal crisp recipe as I guide,  I made my own maple oatmeal apple crisp. I knew I'd be using a 9x13 pan and was making this to take to a dinner party so I essentially doubled that recipe and then began tweaking it.

To start, I peeled and cored 8 Granny Smith apples.  Then I sliced them thin and cut the slices in half.  I wanted small pieces that I knew would cook thoroughly.  Gently toss the apple pieces in a bowl with the lemon juice.  Then sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.  Spread evenly in pan.

For the oatmeal crisp, I started by softening two sticks of butter.  Either plan ahead here or carefully soften in the microwave.  Then I pulled out my food processor to do the rest of the work for me.  Add the sugar and maple syrup to the food processor and pulse several times to combine.  You might need to run a spatula around it to make sure it all gets mixed together.  Then add the butter, flour, and cinnamon and pulse again until thoroughly mixed.  Lastly add the oatmeal and give it a few more pulses.

Thanks to the maple syrup this mixture sticks together pretty well, so gently break it up into small pieces and spread out on top of the apples.  Bake and enjoy.  Don't forget the ice cream to go with it!

Maple Oatmeal Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

Apples

• 8 Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Oatmeal Crisp

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter; softened
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss apples in a bowl with lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon.  Spread apples evenly in 9x13 glass baking dish.  In food processor, combine sugar and maple syrup.  Pulse till thoroughly mixed.  Add butter, flour, and cinnamon.  Pulse until combined.  Add oatmeal, and pulse 2 to 3 more times to combine.  Spoon oatmeal crisp on top of apples, and gently break apart and spread evenly across the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes (I went all the way to 40 to get a nice crisp on the top.).  Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

*Recipe adapted from Cooks.com