With the leaves finally turning, the holidays on the near horizon and the air growing colder and colder by the day, it’s time for a classic American dessert: apple crisp. Also known as apple crumble, this dessert brings together all the quintessential fall flavors: apples, cinnamon and brown sugar. The best part about it is that it takes almost no effort at all to make, costs very little and can be made in a huge batch for your friendsgiving or in a mug for your own enjoyment. And, best of all, it can be made in the microwave — making it the best fall option for anyone whose cooking capabilities are limited to the mini-fridge in their dorm and the communal microwave down the hall.
A surprisingly modern dessert, the first recorded recipe did not appear until 1924 in Isabel Ely Lord’s “Everybody’s Cook Book: A Comprehensive Manual of Home Cookery.” The dish consists of a base of apples baked in cinnamon and sugar, with a streusel-like topping on top. Streusel originates from Germany, and it means something that is “strewn or scattered” in German. In Germany, streusel has a shortbread consistency, making it very cookie-like. Traditional American streusel is very similar, but apple crisp adds oats into the combination of sugar, unsalted butter and all-purpose flour.
One of the great parts of this dessert is that it consists of only a handful of basic ingredients. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, butter and the two sugars are necessary ingredients in most baking. Oatmeal, on the other hand, is also a common pantry staple, as it can be eaten on its own, in cookies or added to other meals. Even the main spice, cinnamon, is fairly common. This makes the dessert easy to throw together at the last minute, and it makes it fairly cheap. If you have to purchase each of these ingredients, the total would amount to around $25, and this amount provides enough materials to produce a large enough batch to feed 12. However, you most likely have at least some of these ingredients in your pantry. So, the apples and oatmeal are likely to be the biggest expense, and they each cost around five dollars.
To make apple crisp, you can follow the recipe featured on Sally’s Baking Recipes’ website. It takes 30 minutes of preparation, and 45 minutes to cook. After preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll need to prep the materials. The first step is simply to wash, peel, core and slice the apples. Then, you’ll combine the white sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together. The recipe calls for the mixture to be sprinkled over the apples, but I prefer to mix them together so the apples are all coated in the mixture. After mixing the apples and sugar mixture together, pour them into your baking dish. Now the apples are done, and all you have to do is make the topping!
This is the trickiest part, and will make you feel like a real pastry chef. First, you mix together most of the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Next, you cut in the butter. You can do this by adding cubes of cold butter into the flour mixture, and then using forks to mix everything together until the mixture resembles little crumbs. (You can also use a pastry cutter, but who has a pastry cutter at college?) Mix in the oats, then sprinkle the entire mixture over the apples.
Place your baking sheet in the oven, bake for 45 minutes, then enjoy! It’s best with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and some people even drizzle caramel syrup overtop.
Of course, that recipe only works if you have access to an oven. If you’re stuck in Martyrs’ Court, Loschert Hall or any of the other freshman and sophomore dorms (where technically there is a kitchen, but you wouldn’t use it willingly), you can also cook apple crisp in the microwave.
The microwave-friendly recipe by Allrecipes only calls for apples, oats, brown sugar, flour, butter (melted) and ground cinnamon. Spread your sliced apples in your baking dish. Next, mix together the brown sugar, oats, melted butter and cinnamon. Cook in the microwave on high for 10-12 minutes, or until the apples are fully baked. This will still produce the same sweet dessert and crisp topping that baking in the oven does, so it’s a great option if you are short on time or have limited cooking capability.
To customize your apple crisp, you can add other flavors to your apple mixture. Some bakers add vanilla, others cloves and ginger, and I love a little bit of nutmeg. There are even people who eat apple pie with cheddar cheese, so you could try that… if you’re brave enough. I’m not.
Apple crisp is an essential fall dessert, and a cheap, easy option for friendsgivings. Because of the simplicity of the recipe and the capability of making it in the microwave, I rate this dessert as…
Difficulty: O’Hare Hall.
