Desserts & Baking

Fall is here, so bring on the warm, spiced apple desserts. After a trip to the apple orchard, slice up those fresh-picked beauties and turn them into a bubbly crisp. Sweet-tart apples tossed with a little brown sugar get topped with a buttery, oat topping and baked until golden brown. This simple dessert is one you’ll make on repeat all autumn long.

Ingredients

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. For filling, in a large bowl toss together apples and the 2 Tbsp. brown sugar. Transfer to a 2-qt. rectangular baking dish. Drizzle with lemon juice.

2. For topping, in another large bowl combine oats, remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, the flour, and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle topping over apple mixture.

3. Bake until apples are tender and topping is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. If you like, serve with ice cream and sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Peach Crisp

To make peach crisp, prepare filling as directed, except substitute 6 cups sliced peeled ripe peaches or two 16-oz. pkgs. frozen unsweetened sliced peaches for the apples. Thaw peaches if frozen (do not drain). Increase the 2 Tbsp. brown sugar to 1/3 cup, add 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, and omit lemon juice. Sprinkle with topping. Bake until filling is bubbly, about 55 minutes. Cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Rhubarb Crisp

To make rhubarb crisp, prepare filling as directed, except substitute 6 cups sliced fresh rhubarb or two 16-oz. pkgs. frozen unsweetened sliced rhubarb for the apples. Thaw and drain rhubarb, if frozen. Increase the 2 Tbsp. brown sugar to 1/3 cup and omit lemon juice. Sprinkle with topping. Bake until filling is bubbly and topping is golden, about 45 minutes. If needed, cover loosely with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.