My mom has passed on many recipes to me over the years… some I’m terrified to attempt; some I’ve tried once and others have become a staple in my not so large repertoire.

I’ve made my mom’s apple crisp with over-sized crumbs on many occasions… a few Thanksgivings, gatherings with friends and Christmas two years ago at my fiancé’s parents’ house.

When the fiancé and I arrived in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, the ground, trees and houses were already covered in snow… and it continued to get packed on for days to come.  The air was frigid, the shoveling felt fruitless and the roads were slick.  We almost postponed the Christmas meal because my future sister and brother-in-law might not have made the drive to the fiancé’s parents’ place.

I had asked the fiancé ahead of time if we’d be cooking any dishes in particular or if we’d just be there to help out in any we were needed… he said that we would just help out.  Great… I can chop celery (which I did), or clean some plates (which I did) or help set a table (yep… I did).

But then… I saw my future sister-in-law’s disappointed face at the idea that this year I would not be making my apple crisp dessert.  I couldn’t let her down…

IT WAS CHRISTMAS!!!

And I was so flattered to have a request!

Through the treacherous snowy conditions the fiancé and his father headed to the market to get the apples and oatmeal needed to complete the recipe.

In between making of other dishes, I found a pocket of time to prep the crisp (with the help of my future sister and brother-in-law on apple peeling duty)… and after dinner and about an hour before the end of a viewing of “The Polar Express,” I popped it in the oven.

And it was deeeeelicious!

Here’s the recipe… let me know if you try it out!

APPLE CRISP

6-8 medium Granny Smith Apples (peeled, cored & thinly sliced)

¾ cup sugar

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

You can also add toasted nuts &/or dried cranberries/blueberries… but I personally like it as is.

THE TOPPING

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 ¼ cups oatmeal  (or you can omit and use 2 ½ cups flour)

¾ cup sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup melted unsalted butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

pinch of salt

Preheat over 375

1. Pam a 9×13 baking/casserole disg
2. Peel, core and cut apples into thin slices.
3. Place into 9×13 in baking dish.
4. Toss with cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice.

THE TOPPING

1. Mix dry ingredients together and pour in melted butter and mix.  Grab bunches of dough, squeeze together to make large crumbles mounding over casserole.
2. Place casserole on aluminum foil in oven.
3. Bake until apples are tender about an 45-60 minutes.

SERVE (with ice cream… I’m a fan of traditional vanilla)