October 5, 2014

Whiskey Apple Crumble

While I’m not the biggest dessert person, I can never resist sweet baked apples and a warm, crumbly crust. Cinnamon whisky (aka Fireball – cue the Pitbull dance party) can be seen at pretty much any football tailgate these days, but since I had a bottle in the freezer, I figured why not bake with it? It works perfectly with the apples and fresh lemon juice. And, there’s plenty of crumble in this recipe because, let’s be honest, it’s the best part. This topping is chock full of yummy pecans, oats and nutty flaxseed (see, there’s some nutritional benefit here). 
Serve with a scoop of fro-yo or Greek yogurt and you’ve got another great way to celebrate fall flavors!

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook apples and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until lightly softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add the applesauce, sugar, lemon juice and whiskey and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.

4. In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, oats, flaxseed, vanilla and salt. Transfer to a food processor or blender.

5. Add cold cubed butter and process until mixture looks like large breadcrumbs. (Note: you can also use your hands to incorporate the butter if you don’t have the food processor or blender, it just takes a little longer.)

6. Coat an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour apple mixture in and top evenly with the crumb topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Whiskey Apple Crumble
Serves 6

All you need:
2 large sweet apples (like Gala or Honeycrisp), diced
2 tablespoons water
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons cinnamon whiskey (such as Fireball)

Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup crushed pecans
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup oats
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

All you do:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook apples and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until lightly softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the applesauce, sugar, lemon juice and whiskey and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
4. In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, oats, flaxseed, vanilla and salt. Transfer to a food processor or blender.
5. Add cold cubed butter and process until mixture looks like large breadcrumbs. (Note: you can also use your hands to incorporate the butter if you don’t have the food processor or blender, it just takes a little longer.)
6. Coat an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour apple mixture in and top evenly with the crumb topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt (and a drizzle of whiskey if you like!).

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