Apple Crisp Filled Apples
By Anita Chu of Dessert First
Nothing suggests fall more than the tantalizing smell of baking apples in the kitchen. Mixed with spices and topped with oats and nuts, an apple crisp is one of autumn’s classic desserts. This take on apple crisp uses the apples themselves as an edible serving dish for the filling and makes a stunning presentation at the table.
Fruit crisps are almost completely naturally vegan from the get-go since there’s no crust to bake. The apples in this recipe are sautéed with a bit of vegan butter, or you can also use coconut oil. You only need a little brown sugar and cinnamon to enhance the natural goodness of the apples. Most baking apples work well, such as Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Fuji, or Honeycrisp; you want apples that are on the firmer and larger side so they have more room to hold more filling and will also remain fairly firm and not soften too much in the oven after baking.
The topping is a mixture of chopped pecans, oats, and brown sugar, but you can also play around and use nuts like walnuts or almonds if you want to experiment. Just remember to keep the butter chilled until you use it, and to cut it into the mixture with a pastry cutter, or a couple of knives, to keep the butter from melting and the mixture turning into one solid ball. This recipe makes more of the topping than you need for four apples, so you can always save it in the refrigerator for future baking.
If you want to forego using the hollowed out apples, this recipe also works fine baked in a regular baking dish, with the apple filling layered on the bottom and the crumble sprinkled over the top, and baked for about the same amount of time. Just check to see if the topping has turned golden brown and has crisped up, and the fruit is bubbling. This method also allows you to use different fruits; peaches and berries work really well for spring and summer crisps.
These apple crisp filled apples are best warm out of the oven, of course, and are even better with a scoop of non-dairy ice cream on top. A simple and delightful way to welcome fall.
Apple Crisp Filled Apples
Makes four servings
Filling:
6-7 medium apples (I used Honeycrisp)
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ cup pecans, roughly chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegan butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
Instructions
Peel, core, and chop three of the apples into 1/2-inch cubes.
Combine the apples, brown sugar, butter, flour, lemon juice, and ground cinnamon in a sauté pan and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes until the apples are semi-soft.
Turn heat to low and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer filling to a bowl and let cool while you work on the remaining apples.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or foil.
Slice off the tops of the remaining apples and use a sharp spoon or melon baller to scoop out the core and flesh, making a bowl out of the apple. You don’t need to remove all the flesh – leave enough of the apple shell so it’s sturdy enough to hold the filling.
Fill the hollowed out apples with the apple filling. Place on the baking sheet.
Combine all the ingredients for the topping except for the butter into a bowl. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry cutter until the mixture has formed small clumps. Or you can put the ingredients in a stand mixer and combine until small clumps form around the butter pieces.
Spoon some of the topping over the filling in each apple.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the topping has turned golden brown.
If you want, you can top with a scoop of non-dairy ice cream before serving.
