Apple Crisp Crumble

Husband and I went apple picking last Saturday in Charlottesville at Carter Mountain Orchard. Although the day was foggy with slight overcast and some drizzle every now and then, it was just like fall. We loved it and have already talked about going back. You can see our adventures at the orchard tomorrow on Hill Collection!

From our trip we collected 51 apples and have decided that for the next week we will be making all kinds of apple desserts and maybe even apple butter this weekend. 

Last night we kicked off the apple baking escapades with a favorite of mine, apple crisp crumble. It is such a wonderful combination of textures: oats, apples, and flaky crust. This dessert is perfectly fall and I hope you enjoy it!

• What You'll Need
• For the Crust
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 TSP salt
• 1 TSP sugar
• 2 sticks of salted butter cut into small cubes
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups ice-cold water
• For the Crisp Crumble Topping
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 stick of chilled, salted butter cut into small cubes
• For the Apple Filling
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 TSP apple pie spice
• 1/8 TSP salt
• 5 apples (if you want a thicker filling, then use more apples)

• What You'll Do
• For the Crust
• In a bowl combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter cubes to the mixture and with pastry blender or your hands, combine the butter and dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal. A food processor can also be used. I chose to use my hands.
• Next add the ice water. More may be needed if the mixture is still crumbly. Add a little more at a time until the dough sticks together, without being too gummy/sticky. 
• Lastly, round and flatten the dough into a disk. Using a large piece of saran wrap, wrap the dough disk and put it in the fridge for at least an hour.
• After the hour has passed, spread all-purpose flour on the counter and roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Place it in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and cut off the excess/over-hanging edges. Crimp the edges of the dough with your fingers, around all sides.
• For the Crisp Crumble Topping
• In a bowl combine the brown sugar, old-fashioned oats, and flour. Next, just as with the crust, course the cubed butter into the mixture until the entire mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
• For the Apple Filling
• Slice the apples, removing the peel. For me, I like thin apples in desserts, so I sliced them accordingly. Leave on the cutting board and combine the sugar, flour, apple pie spice, and salt in a bowl, stirring well. Then add in the apples, mixing until the apple slices are coated.
• Put the apples in the pie shell that has been placed in the 9 x 13 baking dish. Then add the crisp crumble topping, pressing it down some so that it will stick to the apples. 
• Place the dessert in an oven set at 375° for 40 - 45 minutes. 
• If not eating right away, let it cool completely then cover with a lid/tin foil and store in the fridge. To reheat the dessert, turn the oven to warm and place the apple crisp crumble in for about 30 minutes.