Crispy Apple Crumble

I had a bunch of apples leftover around the house and I know there could only be one solution, warm apple crumble. If you are thinking apple crumble must be just like apple pie, you are on the wrong track. Apple crumble is so easy to make almost anyone can do it.

Recipe yields 10 servings

Ingredients
10-12 apples (I used a mix of Jonagold, Fiji and Macoun)
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

1 cup flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp unsalted butter

Toppings:
Vanilla ice cream
Caramel sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel all of your apples and cut them into a large dice.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet and stir in your flour. Add half the diced apples, half the spices and half the brown sugar. Add 1/4 cup water and stir so that all apples are evenly coated with the mixture. Cover skillet and cook on medium high for 8-10 minutes. Repeat with the second half of your apples.

While apples are cooking, combine ingredients for the crumble in a medium bowl.

Using your fingers, mix all ingredients together and mash up the butter. You want to create 'crumb' like pieces.

Remove cover from skillet. Apples are done when they are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Additionally, the spice mixture will now be thick and syrupy.

Remove apples into a baking dish.

Top the apples with an even layer of the crumble.

Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. The crumble is ready to be removed when the top is golden brown and the syrup is bubbling around the outsides.

Spoon the crumble onto a serving dish and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Pie Topping

On a cold fall morning, there is nothing that will warm you up and fill you up (that tastes delicious) like these pancakes. Think of them as a cross between pumpkin and apple pie flavoring, but all rolled into an acceptable breakfast meal.

Recipe yields 12 pancakes

Ingredients
Pumpkin Pancakes:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (See here for recipe)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup milk
3 large egg whites

Apple Pie Topping:
4 medium apples
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Let's start off with making our apple topping. First we need to peel and dice our apples into about 1" cubes. Since the apples are round, it is hard to get perfect cubes, so just try your best!

Heat a small skillet on medium-high heat and add your butter. Once melted, add flour and whisk together. Throw in your diced apples and coat with the butter/flour mixture.

Add your spices and sugar to the pan and mix to coat all the apples.

Add the water and mix in with the apples so that the spices are now melted away into the liquid. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, we can prepare and make our pancakes! In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk to combine all ingredients well.

In the same bowl, add your milk, canned pumpkin and egg whites. Stir well with a spoon until all dry clumps are gone and the batter is smooth.

Heat a large skillet and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Drop batter into skillet in small rounds. I prefer 'silver-dollar' sized pancakes. If you want bigger pancakes, just add more batter.

Let cook for about 3-4 minutes before you flip. You will notice the edges begin to curl up and little air holes begin to appear on the surface of the pancake. Those are signs the pancake is ready to be flipped.

When you have finished all your batter, remove the cover from the apples and stir. The liquid should now be thick and gooey!

Place pancakes on a plate and top with a spoonful of apples and sauce. Serve & enjoy!