CHAI-SPICED APPLE CRISP

Fall is freshly upon us, and all the fragrant spices unique to this time of year get their chance to fill our homes once again. Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves—the oven aromas bring back so many memories. This crisp nestles these fall flavors into a warm batch of apples topped with a sweet oat crumb topping. It’s the perfect way to inaugurate the new season.

The idea for this recipe began when I was visiting my family recently and saw that my mother’s apple tree was positively blowing up. Weighed-down and heavy-laden on each branch with huge juicy fruits, I immediately started thinking about what I could bake with pounds upon pounds of these beauties. The thought of making a crisp materialized pretty quickly, then the idea of an oat crumb topping got me really excited. And to shake things up a bit, I decided to infuse the topping with the flavors of chai, adding ginger and cardamom to the mix. It all worked out perfectly, and the result is the most fall-appropriate of sweet treats. Hope you enjoy!

Thank you to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post!

½ cup +2 tbs all purpose flour

½ cup + 2tbs rolled oats

½ cup light brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cardamom

½ tsp cloves

⅛ tsp fresh cracked pepper

¼ tsp ginger

¼ + ⅛ tsp Sea salt

6 tbs very cold unsalted butter, cubed

2.5 lbs granny smith & honey crisp apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1-inch thick wedges

2 tbs apple cider

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

¼ cup + 1 tbs granulated sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

Heat oven to 375° F.

Begin by making the streusel topping. Place the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper and salt into a medium bowl and mix to combine. Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour mixture until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture looks crumbly. Cover and place in the fridge.

For the filling: to a large bowl add apple slice, cider, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and toss to combine. Transfer the filling to a medium oven proof dish and top with the oat topping.

Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the topping in a golden brown and the juices begin to bubble. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving as is, or with a scoop of ice cream.