Using the very last of the apples from Mercier Orchards, I made two casserole dishes of apple goodie yesterday. The second one, I altered the recipe a bit adding a couple dashes each of nutmeg, ginger, and cloves as well as drizzling approx. 2 TBSP of sourwood honey from Berry’s Honey Farm in Blairsville, GA. We both agreed that that one came out superior to the other.
APPLE GOODIE:
APPLES - peeled, cored, sliced into half-moons (and enough to fill a small casserole dish)
Apple Mixture:
SUGAR - 1/2 cup
FLOUR – 1 tablesppon
CINNAMON – to your taste
Topping:
BUTTER – 3/4 of stick at room temperature
BROWN SUGAR – 3/4 cup (packed)
BAKING POWDER – 1/4 teaspoon
BAKING SODA – 1/4 teaspoon
SALT – 1/2 teaspoon
FLOUR – 3/4 cup
OATMEAL – 3/4 cup
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make Apple Mixture by mixing the flour, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl. You’re basically making cinnamon sugar. I use a whisk to fully incorporate all the ingredients. (you can get a little crazy here and shake in some cloves, ginger, and/or nutmeg).
3. Pour mixture over the apples and gently toss to make sure all the apples are covered. (if you’re feelin’ saucy, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of honey over the apples.
3. In a separate bowl and using a wooden spoon, mix the brown sugar and butter until completely incorporated and crumbly.
4. Sift together the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour and then slowly add to brown sugar/butter mixture, working it in until crumbly. I sometimes use my fingers to knead/work it in a bit. When it’s mixed it should look like crumbly pebbles.
5. Add the oatmeal and mix again.
6. Gently pour topping on top of apples. Two schools of thought on this: packing down the mixture or leaving it light and crumbly. Personally, I leave mine light and crumbly and just keep an eye on it in the oven to make sure it doesn’t bubble over. Seriously, you can go either way without fear of reprisal from the Apple Goodie Cops (because they don’t exist).
7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes then uncover and finish it off for 10-15 more minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream. You can also serve it instead with a little bit of half-n-half, milk, or soy milk OR if you’re feeling particularly boring, just eat it plain. :)
*click picture for a larger view:*
