Apple Crumble.....A Timeless Classic

It's only September 15th and already it's feeling like fall. Yes, the grass and trees are still green in some parts of the city, but in other parts you can already see the colors of the leaves changing to pretty oranges, yellows, and crimsons. The branches are starting to lose their leaves and there is an unmistakeable cool, crispness of autumn in the air. When the weather starts changing this time of year, that's when I slide into fall mode. The high heeled boots, leather jackets, sweaters and pretty scarves come out, and I start craving everything cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin flavored. So today I figured that a good way to end a crazy previous week and weekend would be to bake something reflective of this, something delicious and traditional, and something that would fill the house with a sweet nostalgic aroma. Our family's huge apple tree is overbearing in apple 'amazingness' right now, and so I thought 'what better way to use these fresh apples than to bake them into a mouth-watering classic apple crumble?'. So that is exactly what I did, and I also thought I would like to share the recipe with you too! It is absolutely delicious, and is guaranteed to make you salivate once you start to smell those tasty little apples baking amid a bubbly sweet mixture of golden brown sugar, fragrant cinnamon, nutmeg,  old-fashioned oats and real butter.

All you're going to need is seven simple ingredients :
4 cups                    sliced, cored, and peeled tart apples                             
3/4 cups                 packed brown sugar
1/2 cup                  all-purpose flour
3/4 cup                  old-fashioned oats
3/4 teaspoon          nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon          cinnamon
1/3 cup                  butter (softened)

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees farenheit, and grease an 8"x8" square pan (I prefer to use a glass dish).

So here is our apple tree, straight from the branches! Doesn't get much fresher than that,  does it?

Peel, core, and slice your apples however you want them. Ideally you want nice thin slices to that they bake evenly are sure to be nice and soft once you're done baking them. Since I used the apples from my tree, they are tiny ones therefore my slices are rather small and a bit irregular. This makes no difference just as long as the apples are sliced thin enough.

Next, arrange the sliced apples in the pan you greased.

Then mix the dry ingredients together and add 1/2 cup of the softened butter to create the topping.

Sprinkle it evenly over top the apples and pour the rest of the butter over the top of everything. Bake in the oven for 30 mins or until the topping is golden brown and apples are tender with a fork poked in to test.

Lastly, take it out of the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then cut and serve hot or warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream!

Note that this recipe really can be used with different types of fruits in season such as peaches, rhubarb, fresh cherries, or pineapple slices. Get creative with spices and flavor combinations for this one! For me personally, I always add more cinnamon than the recipe calls for when it comes to apple crumbles simply because I love cinnamon! Or you could also try a bit of allspice, cloves, or maybe even a touch of ginger.

And if I may add just one more thing? As rule of thumb for me, when it comes to baking, I always double the recipe! Why? Because if it's really delicious and people really love what you've made, they devour it all, therefore you want to make sure you have enough. What if it's 'too much' you ask??.......Well.....this is probably the perfect time to tell you that there ain't no such thing! Honestly. You will always be able to find someone who is happily willing to take care of that for you. Take me for example; I'm always happy to satisfy that sweet tooth of mine - I've been that way since I was a little girl, and naturally Cookie Monster was my Sesame Street idol! I bake because I love to. I bake because I love sharing my tasty creations with others and making them smile. I bake because it channels my creativity, and I find it therapeutic. Lastly, I bake because I love sweets......... and I tend to find that life is just that much sweeter when you add a little sugar to it.