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Contrary to what anyone who's ever made a New Year's resolution might have you believe, there is really no better time to embark on novel endeavors than in the fall. Change is in the air, and with Labor Day firmly behind us, lazy days spent sailing and sunbathing (does anyone still sunbathe?) become the stuff of distant memory. Our attentions turn toward apple picking and pies and crackling fires and hot buttered rum. New clothes hang in our closets- woolen caps and mittens, scarves and cozy knit sweaters. Halloween is around the corner, and the pumpkins that dot gardens and porch steps signal the end of another growing season and the start of a time when windows glow with warm yellow light, the air at dusk is thick with the smell of wood smoke, and even the grey and blustery days are filled with the reds, yellows, and golds of leaves turning and twirling toward the ground.
MINIATURE APPLE CRISPS
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Ingredients
Filling:
4-5 medium sized, tart cooking apples, 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:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking or old fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cream or ice cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
For the Filling:
Mix all ingredients together and place into 7-8 ounce ramekins
For the Topping:
In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients except cream until well mixed. Sprinkle over apples.
Bake crisps about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with cream or french vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
