Apple Chrisp

Its not crisp. Its in a crock for crying out loud! Not much is going to be crisp out of a crock. Well, THIS batch I did in a crock. (I hesitate to use the words "crock" and "pot" together after what happened to the chefs formerly known as the "Crock Pot Girls". They were told by the owners of the trademark "Crock Pot" to cease and desist using that name. Jerks. I said it.)

Anyway... the "crisp" part is not crisp in a crock so... Apple Chrisp it is. The 'h' makes it softer.
It is 20 days until Christmas, my favorite holiday, and I'm not feeling it at all. I am bummy. I don't have my tree up yet. Nuthin.

*sigh*

I am going to post this and then eat a bowl of it!

This recipe was introduced to me via Crock Pot Girls (ooooo illicit) and I believe it was submitted to them by a lady named Melissa. I don't want to take any credit away from those deserving; this is just my favorite recipe for Apple Crisp and it is the only one I will ever use.
As always, an O is an indication of an optional ingredient or step that I have not done but you may want to. I used my 4qt crock and multiplied the recipe by 1.5 (9 apples instead of 6, etc) to completely fill it.

  Apple Chrisp Topping
     1 C Flour
     1/2 C Brown or Light Brown Sugar -I used brown
     1/2 C White Sugar
     1/2 tsp Cinnamon
     1/4 tsp Nutmeg
     1 pinch Salt
     1/2 C Butter, not melted or softened
    O 1 C Walnuts
  
Mix all of the ingredients except butter in a bowl, then combine butter to the mix until crumbs form.

   O Stir in walnuts

Set mix aside.

Why do you make the topping first? Because the apples will start to turn brown quickly without the lemon on them. If you plan on making this a lot, make a few of the topping mixes and keep them on hand in baggies! You can also do this with the dry ingredients for the filling, just make sure you have a permanent marker to write on the baggies with.

  Apple Chrisp Filling
   Mix together in a bowl
     1/3 C White Sugar
     1 tbs Corn Starch
     1/2 tsp Ginger
     1/2 tsp Cinnamon

   6 Sm-Med Apples, chopped

   2 tbs Lemon Juice

SPRAY the crock if you have non-stick spray!

I prefer Braeburn apples because they are a good small to medium sized apple, not too sweet and not sour, that is great for cooking with AND great for snacking on. They are very versatile.

I've found the best size of apple chunk to my liking is as follows:

Peel your apples, slice each in half, then each of those in half, then horizontally slice & two vertical slices. I know, that is REALLY breaking it down but some people may not have much experience with cutting :) What you'll end up with is each quarter of apple having been chopped into 6 pieces. I don't like 100% mush so this size is perfect for the cooking time.

Place the apples in the crock

    
Mix in dry ingredients from the Apple Chrisp Filling and then sprinkle the lemon juice over it, mixing just a bit.

Over the now mixed apples & lemon, pour the mix from the Apple Chrisp Topping and cover with the lid.

If its a tight fit like mine was, don't worry, it will go down some as it cooks. Do not mix the Topping in and do not open the lid until your chosen cooking time is up. Cook on HIGH 2hrs or LOW 4hrs.

I like mine on LOW for 3 hours. When I did my last batch, I accidentally bumped the knob (see the Honey Wheat Bread incident) to the "off" position about an hour and a half to 2 hours in. Yeaaaaaahhhhh.... don't do that. I was able to turn it up in time to have it ready after dinner, but don't do that! I forgot to build a fortress around it with cups and spoons :(

The good news? The night I last made this apple chrisp, I may have recruited another crocker. Oh yes. I'm working on it but I may have made yet another believer!