Apple Blueberry Crisp

Oh, hi!

Like most of you, we're moving pretty fast over here. But never too fast to bake something up.

Did I tell you I've been writing for Red Tricycle? Add to that I got this amazing copywriting job developing social media posts and editing web copy for a really awesome preschool franchise brand. I went from full-time mom to full-time everything in 15 seconds. It's pretty rad and I'm loving every moment, no matter how much the busy-ness sometimes overwhelms me. I've started enough new chapters in my life to know that things that feel big and scary on day one soon seem rote and regular in no time.

In all this change, one thing never alters: I bake. I may not have as much time to blog about it, but I bake. It soothes my soul and calms my nerves. It pleases my people and makes my house smell like a home. You've heard most of this from me before, and, honestly, you've gotten the crisp part of this recipe before, too! Like many home bakers, I tend to make the same things over and over again, changing up one or two bits each time. This is no different.

My husband loooooves apple crisp. I think it's probably pretty high up there on his list of favorites because any time I ask what he'd like, it's usually his first request. Y'all probably know this, but apple season is in the fall. I tend to prefer baking seasonally, but when my husband and my dad are both asking for apple crisp on a spring afternoon, I go out and buy the sourest apples I can find. Sour apples like Granny Smiths always contrast nicely with a little brown sugar and the flavor explosion usually distracts my eaters from any mushy or less-than-perfect apple texture. Because we had a giant container of blueberries (are those in season? I see them everywhere but I thought they were fall, too), I added some of those and it made for a decidedly lovely early evening treat. The best part? I'll probably be making this late in summer with peaches, too. Butter, brown sugar and fruit - it doesn't get much better than this!

xox,

A.

Apple Blueberry Crisp
Serves 12
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
2 C blueberries, washed and dried
2 T lemon juice
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C flour
1 t lemon zest

The Crisp:
1 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 t kosher salt
3/4 C oats
12 T unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Mix the flour, brown sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the apple slices, blueberries and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the flour/brown sugar/lemon zest mixture and toss to coat the fruit. Pour the fruit into a large casserole or baking dish and set aside.
4. Make the crisp. Blend the dry ingredients and then cut in the butter until the butter looks like small peas in the flour mixture. This does not have to be perfect. Any pockets of butter in the crisp become melty-heavenly-food-of-the-gods-good. Sprinkle the crisp over the fruit and even it out a bit. Again, no need for perfection here.
5. Bake at 350 for one hour or until the apples are tender when pricked with a knife or skewer.
6. Let cool about 20-30 minutes and then serve with giant scoops if ice cream.