Amazing Cake Mix Apple Crisp

I stumbled across an interesting recipe the other day.  It wasn’t the apple or the crisp that made me take another look.  It was the words cake mix.

I knew immediately that it would be scrumptious.  One of my very favorite recipes on the planet involves a cake mix. It’s this recipe for Cherry Crunch.  You can make it blueberry or use any pie filling you choose.  We all love it, so I knew this Apple Crisp would be over-the-top delicious.

Guess what . . . it is . . . it was!

I was thinking that sometimes when you hit the apple section in your produce department, it can be quite confusing. Do you know your Apples?

With soooo many varieties to pick from, it can be hard to know which apple is right for you. Some are better for baking, for salads and others are crisp and perfect when eaten right out of your hand.

Perhaps this will help just a bit.

FOR EATING RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HAND & IN SALADS:

Braeburn, Crispin, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Pink Lady

BEST FOR BAKING: (These are a few of my favorites)

•  Jonagold – A cross between the Jonathan and Golden Delicious varieties. This crisp apples has a mild flavor with a hint of honey.  This Apple is is good eaten fresh or baked.
• Jonathan – This is a great apple for pies or apple crisp. It has a terrific tang that blends well with spices when baked.
• Rome – Rome apples are a favorite for baking, because they retain their shape well and their flavor is enhanced becoming even sweeter after baking.
• Golden Delicious – Best for baking and perfect for Apple Cider.
• Gala – The Gala is popular, because it’s crisp, sweet and very versatile. Eat it fresh, as well as in your baked goods.
• Granny Smith – The tart flesh of the Granny Smith is a natural for sweet baked goods, like pies, crisps & crumbles. It’s good eaten fresh and perfect for baking. A tart Apple!
• Braeburn – This apple is usually available a little later in the season – October. It’s spicy-sweet and a multipurpose apple worth the wait.

This crisp . . . oh this crisp!

It has lots of oats which makes a scrumptious crunchy crisp over the bubbly, caramel, tart apples below.

I dare you not to pick it all off the top, every time you walk by it.

So, which apples did I choose?

A pairing of Granny Smith & Jonathan. It’s good to choose two varieties when making a crisp or pie.  I chose these two apples, because both are quite tart.  The crisp/crumble uses a cake mix, so I knew it could be pretty sweet. The tartness from the apples evens it all out.  I even cut out a lot of the sugar from the original recipe.  It was just right.

You can really see all the walnuts in this picture.  If you’re family is not nuts about nuts, please leave them out.

See those big chunks of crisp/crumble?  That’s what you want.  Grab a handful of your crisp topping . . . squeeze hard . . . then open your hand and let large chunks fall on top of the apple mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 to 45 minutes. You want your crumble to be very golden brown, as well as the juices from the apples bubbling up along the edges of your baking dish.

Like this.

Serve it warm or cold with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream or even ice cream. I’m telling you, it’s sooooo good. If you still have peaches lurking, this would be fantastic with peaches as well.

It’s easy to make.  The hardest part is peeling and slicing all the apples.  Make sure that you DO USE at least 6 large or 7 medium apples.  Apples really cook down, and you really do need that many.

Quick, you still have time to make this for your dinner tonight!

also . . .

I thought I might share a few pictures that I took, while enjoying a razor ride, above Heise with my husband.  Unfortunately, we got away late in the day, so dusk came quickly.  I do have a camera that allows for high ISO -low-light, but you lose a lot of quality.  I really have lenses for FOOD.  My 24-105mm was not quite sufficient. They are very grainy, but hopefully you can still appreciate all the beautiful fall colors.  In all my years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the colors so beautiful!

Make Apple Crisp and go on a FALL ride before all the beautiful colors are GONE. Soon, it will all be WHITE.

 

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