Apple Crisp

Fall is in the air! It's so beautiful and crisp outside (I, for one, am relieved to be done with the sweltering heat we've experienced all summer). I've never had the pleasure of enjoying a New England fall, and I couldn't be more excited. Fall has always been my favorite season-the beautiful colors of the leaves, spiced apple cider, pumpkin patch rides, Halloween, pumpkin-flavored anything...you get the picture. Our local grocery store has been running a sale on Granny Smith apples-only 99 cents for an entire bag! Naturally, I couldn't resist and I bought two. However, I wanted to use them in a recipe, rather than eating multiple apples all day. Since I haven't had the opportunity in a long time to make a tasty treat for brunch, I did some quick searching on my favorite recipe sites and found this recipe for Apple Crisp, by the Neelys. I loved it, and so did Will. I think the maple syrup added a great touch, but it wasn't too sweet. The only thing I did differently was the baking dish I used. In their recipe, the apple crisp is divided amongst seven ramekins, but I just decided to do the simple thing and use my glass Pyrex baking dish. After a quick spray with Pam, it presented no problem.
Source: Food Network

Filling Ingredients:

• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped small
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

For the Filling:

• Mix all the ingredients together. Place into 7 to 8-ounce ramekins.

For topping:

1. Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.

2. Bake crisps for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.