Since black apples are in season in Arkansas, I made a Black Apple Crisp. For several days, it sat on the stove under aluminum foil. John and I walked by and took big spoonfuls straight from the pie pan and pretended that since we weren’t sitting down with a whole bowlful, we weren’t really eating it…
You know how that works out.
Black Apple Crisp
I talked about this Black Apple Crisp in last week’s Sunday Letter, and several people asked for the recipe. So here it is.
Ingredients
- Pie Shell (regular, not deep dish)
- 4 cups apples, cored, peeled, and sliced thin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 T flour
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup flour
Instructions
- Pour apples into medium-sized bowl. Mix cinnamon, granulated sugar, and 1 T flour together and pour over apples. Stir until apples are coated. Pour into pie shell.
- Over low heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, add brown sugar and flour. Stir together.
- Top with brown sugar butter crumble.
- Bake at 375 for approximately 30 - 40 minutes or until rim of pie shell has browned.
- Serve with ice cream.
The Rest of the Story
So now that you have the recipe, I need to tell you a few important things about making it.
- The original recipe said to put the apples in the pie crust and then pour the cinnamon, flour, sugar ingredients over the apples in a layer. I started to do this (as you can see I had even put my naked apples in the crust). But I decided this method would not allow the cinnamon to mix well over the apples. So I poured the apples back into a bowl and mixed them with the cinnamon/sugar, then returned the apples to the crust.
- The original recipe called for 2 cups of brown sugar and flour for the crumble topping. I used 1 cup of each. Next time, I will try this using 1/2 cup. I think with less topping, the crumble will brown better and be crunchier.
- My oven sucks. That’s the truth. It doesn’t heat properly so every recipe I make requires adjusting the time and temperature. The original recipe called for baking at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. I baked mine at 385 degrees for 45 minutes. If you have an oven that performs as it should, start with the recommended 375 / 30 and go from there. In other words, keep an eye on it because I can’t swear to the time and temp.
Really, there’s nothing better than hot pie and a scoop of ice cream.
Arkansas Black Apples
Are you a fan of Arkansas black apples? They will keep several months in cold storage, and with age, the skin turns darker (almost purple-black) and the crisp sweet-tart flavor becomes even better (like a fine red wine). Arkansas black apples are thought to have originated in the 1870s in Benton County from a Winesap seedling.
Did you know, northwest Arkansas had a thriving apple industry in the late 1800s until the 1930s? A moth infestation, a drought, and The Great Depression almost wiped out commercial production. Now, Arkansas Blacks are grown not only in Arkansas, but also in the large apple-growing areas of the Pacific Northwest.
For another black apple recipe, I can’t wait to try Dining with Debbie’s Arkansas Black Apple Pudding Cake. It looks so delicious!
I wish I had a piece with my coffee this morning.
Yes, our apple crisp is long gone…
Photo courtesy of Dining with Debbie
Happy fall baking, friends! It’s the yummiest time of the year.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
Hoping I can find the Arkansas Black Apple. I saw a sign (out of season this summer) advertising them in Harrison on my way to Fayetteville, but can’t find any orchards less than 2 hours from my home in North Central. Darn, I want to try them out. But I have already made apple desserts this fall…and pumpkin desserts…and persimmon baking coming up next. Hmmm, may I should just eat my apples raw or I’ll be having to let out my pants!
Me too! This is the time of year when the calories easily sneak in. Ugh.
I stopped at Rinalli’s in Tontitown today to buy some Arkansas black apples…..& some violas.
I still haven’t bought my violas! Thanks for the reminder.