Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

I made my apple pie over the 4th of July weekend, but still had a whole bunch of apples left.  I spent most of the day running around in the Heat (it earned the capital H, trust me) and wanted to make an apple dessert without turning on my oven.  We had macaroni stew for dinner, but that was on the stove so the Crock Pot was empty and ready to make something sweet.  I decided on apple crisp, which made Bubba panic for a minute because, "the whole point of a crisp is that it's crisp!"  He was convinced that it would turn out soggy and didn't believe me when I said it would be awesome.  But he should realize after 17 years of marriage that I am never wrong.

You will need:

a slow cooker
6 Granny Smith apples
1/3 cup white sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
*****************
1 cup flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter (Smart Balance)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional--I didn't use them this time)

I used Granny Smith apples because they are tart and, I think, the perfect cooking apple.  There is a lot of sugar in this recipe and if you start with a sweet apple you may end up overwhelmed by sweetness.  Plus the tartness of the Granny Smiths really adds a nice balance to this dessert.  Peel and chop all of your apples and add them to the slow cooker.  I did not grease the pot first--it's unnecessary.  Now, the apples are going to brown up a bit while they cook, so I never worry about adding lemon to the apples to protect them from the air.  But if you think making the topping will take you a while and brown apples freak you out, then go ahead and toss the apples with 2 T of lemon juice. 

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.  Pour the mixture over your apples and toss.

In the same, now empty, bowl, mix together the flour, oats, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Then add the stick of butter.

Thoroughly work the butter into the flour mixture with a fork or your fingers and pour it over the top of the apples.

Place two paper towels across the top of the slow cooker and put on the lid. 

Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1.5 hours.  Then remove the top, take the pot out of the cooker and set it on a heat-safe surface.  Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.  The topping will harden up a bit more and you won't burn your mouth when you finally dig in.  :)

The topping is crisp and the apples are tender.  SO delicious!  If you cook it longer than you should the apples will cook down into applesauce, but that's just fine.  It will taste great anyway! 

We all loved this apple crisp!  And you will, too.  Enjoy!!

Sunshine Mom's Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

slow cooker

6 Granny Smith apples 

1/3 cup white sugar

1 T cornstarch

1 tsp ground cinnamon

*****************

1 cup flour

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter (Smart Balance)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional--I didn't use them this time)

1. Peel and chop all of your apples and add them to the slow cooker.

2.In a medium size bowl, whisk together the 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.  

3. Pour the mixture over your apples and toss.

4. In the same, now empty, bowl, mix together the flour, oats, white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

5. Then add the stick of butter.

6. Thoroughly work the butter into the flour mixture.

7. Pour it over the top of the apples.

8. Place two paper towels across the top of the slow cooker and put on the lid. 

9. Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1.5 hours.

10. Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Slow Cooker Applesauce

I got this recipe for slow cooker applesauce from Tasty Kitchen. I changed up the recipe just a bit and am head-over-heels in love with the result!! I will definitely be making this again and again and again.... We ate the applesauce as a dessert after dinner, but then ate it again for breakfast and I put little tubs of it in our lunches. It is also fabulous in pancakes and bread!

You will need:

8 whole apples, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp cinnamon
slow cooker



The original recipe calls for 8 Golden Delicious, but I used a combination of Fuji (4), Granny Smith (2), and Golden Delicious (2). I would recommend using at least 2 Granny Smith apples no matter what other apples you choose. Also, stay away from the Red Delicious--they tend to be mealy.

Peel your apples. I used an apple peeler/corer, but didn't core them because it slices the apples when it pulls out the core. I don't like that.



Chop the apples into cubes, medium size and toss them into your slow cooker. No need to worry about the apples turning brown since you will be cooking them.



Add the water, sugar, and cinnamon and toss until combined.



Set your slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours (which is what I did) or on low for 8-10. I stirred the applesauce about once an hour.



After three hours smash the apples with a potato masher, but leave some chunks.
Chunky applesauce is AWESOME.



You'll never go back to the jarred stuff after tasting this applesauce. Absolutely amazing. One of my all-time favorite recipe finds!!



Try not to burn your mouth as your scarf down a huge bowl. :)



Enjoy!

Yankee Apple Cider Bread

I sure hope I don't get my Southern license revoked for this, but I was looking for a recipe for apple cider bread online and found one...in Yankee magazine. :) It was wonderful, but don't tell anyone. It did not taste Southern, though. It does not have the dense texture and flavor of banana bread and I was looking for that for some reason. This bread is light in both weight and taste but I loved the intense cider flavor. (I modified the recipe just a bit and halved it so that I would only get one loaf.)

You will need:

1/2 cup butter (1 Smart Balance stick)
3/4 cups brown sugar (original recipe calls for white)
2 eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cups apple cider
1 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped



Preheat oven to 375. (If I make this again I may reduce the temp to 350.)

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat for one minute on medium speed.



Then add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.



In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the cider into measuring cup.



Add 1/2 of the flour mix to bread batter, mix.



Then add all the cider, mix. Add the last of the flour and mix.



Peel and chop your apple...




and fold into the batter.



Pour the bread batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 50-70 minutes. I baked mine for 60 minutes, but probably could have removed it after 55.





This bread is incredibly tasty, but I like my quick breads a bit denser.



Hubby and the kids slathered their pieces in butter and ate every last crumb. I personally feel that quick bread should be enhanced by adding butter, but not need it. This bread needed it, I thought. Yummy, but not perfect. If you try it let me know what you think!!



Enjoy!


my recipe card:

Apple Cider Upside Down Cake

Usually I try to get in a few nutrition points when I bake, like switching out the white flour with wheat, sneaking in some wheat germ, or replacing oil with applesauce. Not this time, sorry. Unless you count the apples as healthy...but I don't think you can when they are drenched in butter and brown sugar. Oh, how you will love this recipe anyway. When I made my apple cider donuts I declared them the best thing I have ever baked. I take it back. I now think this cake is the best thing I have ever baked. (The kids cast their vote for the donuts, which is good because I used whole wheat in that recipe.) Please make this immediately and do NOT think about the extra minutes on the treadmill the next morning. Just relax and rejoice in the decadent deliciousness of this cake.

You will need:

2T plus 2 tsp butter (don't worry, it all works out without measuring)
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1 medium apple
*************
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar (or white)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup cider
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg



Preheat oven to 350.

Cut the stick of butter so that you have 1/3 cup. That will leave you with 2T plus 2 tsp. See, no measuring!



Melt 2T plus 2 tsp butter in a 9-inch cake pan. I just did it in the microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power.



Now sprinkle the 1/2 cup of brown sugar over the top of the butter.



Peel and slice the apple. I did thin, but not too thin slices. I wanted them to cook through, but not disintegrate. (About apple choice: I used Fuji. Granny Smith would be too juicy for this recipe and you may end up with a cake that won't bake. Gala would be another good choice.) Then layer the slices on top of the sugar/butter. I barely overlapped the apples.



Set aside. In a large mixer bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.



Mix together and then add the butter, cider, vanilla, and egg.



Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.



Pour over the top of the apples/sugar/butter in the cake pan. No need to grease the sides at all.



Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. My cake needed the full 40, but I checked it after 35. Make sure a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.



Let it cool for no more than 5 minutes and then invert the cake onto a serving plate or platter. Run a knife along the edges of the cake to loosen them. I put the plate on top of the cake pan and then flipped the whole thing over. (I was careful to use oven mitts on my hands so no caramelized sugar could drip out and burn me. Good thing I did because one of my oven mitts is covered in sugar.) It should pop out with ease.



Then dive in! This cake is best when still warm. We ate it without letting it cool at all.



The cake part is seriously good enough to eat alone with no apple/sugar/butter topping. The cinnamon couples with the apple cider flavor to knock you out of your socks!



Very moist, not at all heavy. Perfection.



Enjoy!!

(*note: don't forget to soak your pan after the cake is gone (and it will go FAST). The sugar and butter makes a caramel and you don't want that drying on your cake pan.)

My recipe card:

The Best Apple Pie Ever!

Apple pie is my least favorite pie. Un-American, I know. I love apples, love brown sugar, love cinnamon, love pie, don't like them mixed together. I don't even like the smell of apples and cinnamon. Weird, I know. But, this recipe I like. Not love, but like and based on my tolerance and my family's adoration for this pie I figure it must be the best darn apple pie ever.
You will need:

1/2 to 1 cup flour
6-7 cups Granny Smith apples
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 T butter
1 tsp cinnamon (I use more...lots more.)
2 pie crusts
1 pie pan
cinnamon sugar



One apple equals about one cup, so I used 6 apples. If you get your hands on some tiny Granny Smiths you might need closer to 8. I used my handy dandy apple peeler (it also cores and slices). I love it and wish I loved to bake with apples more so I could use it more often.



The peels were so pretty I just had to take a picture.



Mix the flour, sugars, and cinnamon in a large bowl. I used 3/4 of a cup of flour. Finding the right amount of flour is tricky...it all depends on the juiciness of your apples. Unfortunately, you usually can't tell how much liquid they will give up until they are baked. It's a crap shoot--you could end up with an overly-juicy pie or one that is too thick and can stand on its own. Those pie slices that are thick and stand up high are beautiful in magazines, but they don't taste so great in real life. I have found that 1/2 cup is almost always too little, though.



I like to chop my apples instead of slicing them. With the slices you have to cut up your pie and I don't like that. I just want to dig in and get a forkful. The large chops cook all the way through, I promise.



Now add your apples to your flour, sugar, cinnamon mix and get in there with your hands to mix. Kids love to help out with this part!



Line your pie plate with one crust. I just use the refrigerated ones. Easy and super yummy. Add all of the covered apples to the pie pan. You will have lots of the mix leftover--just pour it over the apples.



Cut up the 2T of butter and place around the top of the pie.



Now here's a trick. I use mini cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the top crust. This trick allows more steam to evaporate from the pie and caramelizes the sugars inside. SO GOOD! (Save your cutout shapes.)



Place the top crust on top of your pie and seal the edges. Now brush the entire top crust with milk and place your cutout shapes anywhere you like, except over the openings. Now brush the tops of the cutouts with milk and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of the whole pie.



Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes. I use a cake tester to poke the apples and make sure they are soft. I've never had to bake for more than 55 minutes.





This pie speaks for itself, don't you think?





Enjoy!

**note: I baked this pie a few months ago. I'm still not turning on my oven in this heat and I am really, really looking forward to the big cool down in September (if we are lucky) or October. Definitely cooler by November. Or December. I'm having trouble remembering when it was cool... :)