Have Your Apple [Crisp] & Eat It, Too

[Image via: here]

Yesterday, I went to a bbq with friends. Granted, it was inside, and our hamburgers were grilled courtesy of George Foreman. But nonetheless, it was a bbq - we wore cute summery clothes, brought covered dishes and sipped on cold drinks. Thus I decided on the spot that bbqing should happen at least once a week from now through the summer.

My assignment for the get-together was to bring a dessert (no surprise there). With the endless possibilities of dessert choices - pies, cookies and cakes, oh my - I settled on bringing something with fruit. So apple crisp it was. It was really easy to make and even more delicious to eat. Minus the whole oh-man-I-shouldn't-have-eaten-that feeling afterward. Because you'll feel at least a teeny bit proud of yourself for getting at least one [or two] servings of fruit in your day.

I knew apple crisp and I were going to be friends as soon as the toasty cinnamon smell filled my kitchen . . .

Healthy Apple Crisp

[from here]

What you'll need:

1/2 cup instant oatmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose [or wheat] flour
2/3 cup firmly packed brown [or raw] sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg [optional - I didn't have any at home so I skipped using it]
3 tbsp butter, melted
4 Granny Smith apples [or, if you're short on time, 2 cans of all-natural apple pie filling]*
1/2 gallon low-fat vanilla ice cream or fro-yo


What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. While it's preheating, spray/grease a 13"  x 9" baking pan. I used glass but ceramic or your pan of choice should be a-okay.

3. Grab a mixing bowl and throw in everything but the apples and ice cream - that would be the oatmeal, flour, sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg, as well as the butter. Stir until it's well mixed and small clumps of oats and flour begin to form.

[Image via: here]

4. Next, suds up and clean those apples. Then peel, core and slice them into skinny slices. *Or if you're going the apple pie filling route, simply take your handy-dandy can opener and open your apple cans. Convenience to the max!

 [Image via: here]

5. Take your apple slices or pre-made apple filling and spread it evenly over the bottom of your baking dish.

6. If you've ever been a flower girl, here's your time to shine, again: grab a small handful of the crisp mix and gently toss over the layer of apple like you would down the white aisle runner on the big day. Repeat until you've covered it all/run out of mix [err . . . petals].

[Image via: here]

7. Pop it in the oven and let it bake for about 28 to 30 minutes. When smells of crispy apples and baked cinnamon will begin to waft out of the oven, it’s close to being done.

 [Image via: here]

8.  Cut yourself a slice and enjoy. Serve it while it’s still warm with a scoop of ice cream/fro-yo if you’re so inclined. I left the ice cream at home yesterday so we had it sans topping and it was unabashedly yummy.

How much it makes:

10 to 12 small bowlfuls

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