Easy Apple Crisp

By Amanda Haas 

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Ingredients

6 tbsp butter, cut into 1/2" chunks
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 lbs apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp granulated sugar
vanilla ice cream, such as Haagen-Dazs

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 2 to 2 ½-quart baking dish.

To make the topping, using your fingers or the paddle attachment of a mixer, work the butter with the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats (or chopped nuts, if you prefer), salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon so that each piece is coated and you have a coarse, crumbly mixture.

Toss the apples with the additional 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Pour the fruit mixture into the buttered baking dish and cover with the topping. Set the dish on a sheet pan to catch any drips and bake until the juices from the fruit are bubbling and the topping is brown, about 1 hour. (Start checking it after 45 minutes in case it cooks faster.)

Allow the crisp to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.