Spiced Apple Crisp

Happy Sunday Friends!
Our hard working and ever faithful Daddy had to be at work again today, so the minute he pulled out of the garage and all three of us waved goodbye, said I love you and yelled tootles, we began counting the minutes until he would be home with us again.  With no time to waste, we got ready for church, put on our Sunday Best, and sang the ABC's all morning long.  Right after the letter Q, Cole generally likes to end the song and Braydon just yells loud noises, but they both get points for effort and enthusiasm! 

Cole and Braydon's Grammie and Papa treated the boys to a frozen yogurt and train ride after church and once we arrived back home, we watched Backyardigans -dancing and singing throughout and practiced spelling Cole's name.  Mommy would write his name, we would write it together and then Cole would try on his own.

Not bad for just starting out!

After doing a few puzzles, and sharing in cuddles, we jumped right into our Apple Crisp that we prepped the day before.  But, before we got completely started, Cole said to me, "Mommy, lets make you some coffee first!"  I love his thinking :)  
In case you weren't a part of our last blog post, we already prepped our 4 large green apples by peeling them and soaking them in lemon juice over night ... a great way to add a citrus flavor, but also to prevent browning on the peeled apples.

Now that we have done our prep, begin preheating your oven to 400 degrees.  Then take your apples and dice them into bite size pieces.  

These apples have been cut for 24 hours and still have great green coloring.  To continue to maintain the freshness, put about 2 tbsp of lemon juice into a bowl and then combine your diced apples, mixing the lemon juice into the apples again.  Add 4 1/2 tbsp of sugar, 1/4 c flour, 1 tbsp of allspice, a few dashes of nutmeg and mix together.

Take a 8x8 in square pan or a pie plate and coat with oil.  Pour seasoned apples into dish.  Cut 2 tbsp of butter into small pieces and cover the apples with the butter. 

Set this aside and in a separate bowl you are going to make the topping.  Combine 3/4 c of oats with 1/2 c of brown sugar.  Cole and I are huge fans of brown sugar, so every time we bake with it, we take a spoon full for ourselves too!

After you have added the brown sugar, add 3 tbsp of flour and mix all together.

Take another 6 tbsp of cold butter and dice into small pieces.  Combine the butter with the topping mixture and continue to softly mix together.  I like to add a few dashes of cinnamon and ground cloves as well for a more flavorful taste!  Once the topping is complete with add-ins, pour evenly over the seasoned apples.

Place in the center rack of the oven for even baking for 40-45 minutes.  

You will know it is done when the topping is dark golden brown  and the apples are bubbling. 

Cool slightly and grab a fork to start eating!

Scoop into bowls for serving.  Enjoy alone, with ice cream or whipped cream!

Satisfy your sweet tooth with the buttery crisp-topped fruit dessert, knowing it has your oats to convince yourself it can be called slightly healthy too!  Happy baking, and eating too!