Mamaw’s Recipe Box #3: Apple Crisp

I hate being sick! Especially when the illness is caused by an annoying cold virus that hangs on and on and on…zapping all my energy and creating coughing spasms in the middle of the night. For more than a week now I have done only the minimum amount required to make it through the day. Thank goodness I have a sweet and loving fiancé who watches out for me and makes sure I rest even when I try to force myself not to. (Thank you, Michael. I love you!)

Yesterday I finally felt like heading into the kitchen to cook something more than a pot of tea or a heated-up can of soup. I was in the mood for something simple and comforting, so I turned to my grandmother’s recipe box once again.

 
This apple crisp recipe is one I remember both Mamaw and Mom making throughout my childhood. It does not contain some of the ingredients most people associate with a crisp, such as brown sugar and/or oatmeal in the topping. Instead it has just the basics—apples, butter, white sugar, cinnamon and flour. That’s it!

Mamaw’s directions included “bake slowly, uncovered, until apples are tender.” No oven temperature and no time limit! I looked up some other crisp recipes and settled on 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes.

The crisp is warm and bubbly. I like it with vanilla ice cream, but I remember my dad eating it with a splash of milk on top. Cream (both whipped and un-whipped) would be nice, too. (Note: If the apples you are using are very sweet, you might want to decrease the amount of sugar in the topping by 1/4 cup so the whole crisp isn’t too sweet.)

Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced apples

7 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup flour

Cut apples into 1/4-inch slices. Butter a baking dish, put in apples and pour over the water and cinnamon.

Work together the sugar, flour and butter until crumbly and spread over the apples.

Bake slowly, uncovered, until apples are tender. [350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes.] Serve while warm with whipped cream [or ice cream, milk, or un-whipped cream.]