I love September in Germany. The first hints of fall pepper beautiful sunny days, festivals like Oktoberfest pop up all over (in pre-pandemic years) and autumnal flavors return. While pumpkin is definitely having a moment right now, my favorite fall food has to be apples.
One of the tastiest and easiest ways to enjoy apples is in a crisp. Traditionally, a crisp can be made by just baking fresh fruit under the topping. However, since moving to Germany, I found that the apples were releasing too much fluid and leaving a soup behind. To get a nice thick filling for this crisp, I make a fresh apple pie filling on the stove top. Adding this step doesn’t actually add much work and gives the dessert an unbeatable coziness!
To ramp up the fall feel, I added some ground ginger to the filling. The subtle spiciness paired so well with the apples. For the perfect end to a meal, pop this in the oven right as you sit down for dinner. After 40 minutes, top with vanilla ice cream and enjoy the least fussy dessert of all time!
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 8 medium apples (I used Braeburn)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt
For the Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (Typ 405 in Germany)
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons of melted butter (4 tablespoons plus a splash of water in Germany)
- pinch of salt
To Make
For the Filling
- In small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
- Peel, core and slice or cube the apples. Try to be consistent in size.
- In a medium sauce pan, toss cut apples with lemon juice. Pour sugar mixture over the apples and stir until evenly coated.
- Add water and bring to a boil, then simmer until apples have softened and the sauce has thickened.
- Transfer to an 8×8 pan or pie dish.
For the Topping
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- Pour in the melted butter and stir until crumbly.
- Sprinkle the topping over the filling, covering as much or as little as you’d like.
Bake the crisp at 350° for 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Serve with a scoop of ice cream and enjoy!
