Apple Crisp

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

The early fall is truly magical.

These days I love to revel in all the pleasant impressions that this time of year evokes in me.

I love the calm… as if everything is coming to rest after all the hard work.

I’m excited when I see first signs of the glitter party that nature is going to throw soon.

Also, I love to go for long walks and enjoy the nice and warm days.

And if I didn’t sleep so late I’d definitely enjoy the crisp and cool mornings.

Hm, you can’t have everything, I guess.

 

But most of all, I enjoy the fruits of this season.

Like apples, for example.

In my world, there’s nothing more wonderful than the smell of apples and cinnamon coming out of the oven.

That’s why I end up making all sorts of apple-cinnamon creations these days each year – Apple Crisp being one of my favorite.

Yum!

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

The ingredients are simple and economical.

And that’s great.

 

Now I invite you to have a look at what crazy stuff was going on in my kitchen…
apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

1. First, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. I placed all the ‘topping’ ingredients into one bowl – namely the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, salt, oats and walnuts.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that crazy.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

3. Using a fork, I combined them all just until this crumbly mixture had formed and no large pieces of butter were visible.

The topping is finished.

Easy!

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

4. Then I grabbed six medium apples.

These are Golden Delicious.

Also Empire, Gala, or Braeburn are especially good in this recipe.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images
5. I peeled, washed, cored and sliced them.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

6. And then I cut the slices into 1 inch (2.5 cm) chunks.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

7. To make the filling, I placed the apples, the lemon zest (I used dried lemon zest) and the sugar in a larger bowl…

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

8. …and tossed it to combine.

Mmmm… can you smell that?

Instant home!

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

9. I am brushing a dish with vegetable oil here.

Instead, you can butter the dish or just spray it with some cooking spray.

Also, although I used a slightly larger dish, I recommend to use a 9 inch (23 cm) deep dish pie plate or an 8 x 8 x 2 inch (20 x 20 x 5 cm) baking dish.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

10. Fill the dish with the fragrant apple filling.
apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

11. And, using your fingertips, spread the topping evenly over the apples.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

12. Pop it in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly and the topping is golden brown.

13. Remove from the oven, place on the cooling rack and let cool for about 30 minutes.

Then dig into it with a spoon and check whether everything is all right.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

And if everything is perfectly all right, and it definitely will be, proceed to another step – fill a bowl with some more spoonfuls of this flavorful, juicy and crispy wonder.

Add a nice, fat scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Or two.

Or four.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

And have a great time!
If, by any chance, you end up with some leftovers, refrigerate them and reheat them before serving.

apple crisp recipe with step-by-step images

Enjoy!

 

Mini Apple Pies

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Would you like to know what I’ve been doing for the past two hours?

Sitting in the kitchen and staring at the Mini Apple Pies I’ve just made.

I LOVE the way they look… so cute, adorable and so much fun to make.

And I haven’t even started talking about the way they taste – it’s left me speechless… up till now…

Just try making them – your family will love you and your kids will surely be awed and remember them for quite some time.

These are the ingredients:

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And this is how the story goes:

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, place the flour, sugar - 2 tablespoons - 30 grams - and salt in the bowl of your electric mixer, stir with a spoon until combined

1. Place the flour, sugar (2 tablespoons/30 grams) and salt in the bowl of your electric mixer.

Stir with a spoon until combined (don’t use the mixer yet… unless you want to disappear in white, dusty fog forever).

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, Add the butter (1 cup - 226 grams) and mix (now you have the permission to use the mixer) until the mixture resembles coarse meal, Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water in a slow, steady stream until the dough holds together when pinched, if necessary, pour more water, mix for only about 30 seconds

2. Add the butter (1 cup – 226 grams) and mix (now you have the permission to use the mixer) until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

3. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water in a slow, steady stream until the dough holds together when pinched. If necessary, pour more water.

Mix for only about 30 seconds.

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, remove the dough from the mixer bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour before using

4. Remove the dough from the mixer bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour before using.

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5. Meanwhile, we can prepare the filling…

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, peel the apples, core them and cut them into teeny tiny dices, place the dices into a bowl

Peel the apples (I am using Golden Delicious here), core them and cut them into teeny tiny dices.

Place the cut apples into a bowl.

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, Add the sugar (1/2 cup - 100 grams), lemon juice, salt (1/4 teaspoon), cornstarch (some of you may know this as corn flour) and the wonderful, fragrant, heavenly cinnamon

6. Add the sugar (1/2 cup – 100 grams), lemon juice, salt (1/4 teaspoon), cornstarch (some of you may know this as corn flour) and the wonderful, fragrant, heavenly cinnamon.

(What would I just be without cinnamon…? Probably some purposeless creature. I am sorry for this purposeless note.)

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, melt the butter in your microwave oven and add it to the mixture

7. Melt the butter (2 tablespoons/30 grams) in your microwave and add it to the mixture.

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8. Mix, mix, mix.

I am glad to inform you that now we’ve reached the apple filling perfection.

Please, be stronger than me and try not to feast on this heavenly mixture at this stage.

9. Preheat the oven to 356 F (180 C).

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10. Grease your regular sized muffin tin with vegetable oil.

As you can see I am using a silicone muffin tin – this one doesn’t need much oil… if any.

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11. For our mini pies we need the bottom crust and the top crust – the bottom circle being slightly wider than the top one.

Hence, I searched my house for two glasses – the bigger one measuring about 4 1/2 inch (11 cm) and the smaller one being about 3 1/2 inch (8,5 cm) in diameter.

These perfectly fitted the regular muffin cup – which should be about 2 1/2 inch (6,5 cm) in diameter.

Enough with numbers.

I dipped the glass in flour.

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll out the dout

12. I removed the dough from the fridge and placed it on a lightly floured surface.

Using a rolling pin, I rolled it out to about 0.1-inch (3 mm) thickness.

Then I went on and cut out a circle from the dough.

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13. Now press the circle gently into the muffin cup.

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, fill the dough with the apple mixture so that it comes over the top of the pan

14. Fill the dough with the apple mixture so that it comes over the top of the muffin cup.

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15. This is the smaller glass being dipped in flour.

Using the smaller glass, cut out another circle and…

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, put dough circle on top of mini pie, with your finger, press the edges gently, using a fork, create some nice ornament

16.  … put it on top of your pie.

With your finger, press the edges down gently.

Then, using a fork, create some nice ornament.

Let your fantasy fly free and create any ornaments that come to your mind.

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Here, I grabbed my bamboo chopstick and created another decoration.

At long last, my chopsticks found some use around here… I think they are happy now…

mini apple pies recipe with step by step pictures, ingredients, Thanksgiving pies, Thanksgiving recipe, Holiday recipes, using a sharp knife, make two slits in the centers of your pies to allow the steam to escape

17. Using a sharp knife (which is exactly what I am NOT using here), make two slits in the centers of your cute pies to allow the steam to escape.

Continue doing this process until you’ve run out of the dough and apple filling.

18. Place in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

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19. Once they are done take them out of the oven and let them sit for about 15 or 20 minutes so they get cool enough to handle.

Enjoy dear friends!

This recipe makes 11 pies.

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