I’ve been anxious for the arrival of fall. This summer has felt never-ending and I’m ready for the fireplace, sweaters and good things coming out of the oven. I had some apples that were much more suitable for cooking and wanted to try this variation on an apple crisp. This is a one-pan cooking recipe which I love. The original recipe had the sauce cooked in a separate pot but I figured it would all work fine in the cast iron pan. And it did. Sort of. The caramel seized up a bit when I added the apples, and I really thought it might be a disaster before it ever went into the oven. But the oven did its magic and it all worked out. It’s tasty and so easy to make. One thing I might do different is the way the crumble is prepared, I find it works better if you use melted butter in the flour mixture rather than the cold, like this recipe, then refrigerate the crumble and place on top. I get unexpected results using the cold butter, I seem to end up with bits of flour that hadn’t baked in with the butter. Some reviewers for this recipe also had the same problem. It might be that it’s better to crumble the butter in with a food processor rather than by hand? In any case this recipe is worth a try!

Caramel Apple Crisp

Topping

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced

Filling

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 apples (about 2 3/4 pounds), peeled, quartered, cored

To make the topping whisk the flour, oats, sugar and spices in medium bowl to blend. Add diced cold butter and rub in with fingertips until small moist clumps form. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

To make the filling stir sugar and butter in large cast iron skillet over medium heat until smooth sauce forms. Add lemon juice and continue stirring until caramel is deep brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in salt, then apples (toss the apples quickly as the caramel may seize up). Toss until apples are evenly coated, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the chilled topping evenly over the apple mixture. Place pan in oven and bake for about 50 minutes until apples are tender, sauce is bubbling thickly, and topping is golden brown. Let crisp cool about 15 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Adapted from Bon Appetit