Apple Prune Crisp

Prunes? I know. Stick with me on this. It's delicious. And quick. You chop up some apples- leaving the skins on!- mix with a few other ingredients, and before you know it, the house smells amazing and you're pulling a soul satisfying, autumn dessert from the oven. Serve it with ice cream, whipped cream or leave it plain. I even had some for breakfast topped with a little yogurt. It lasts for a few days and the topping stays nice and crunchy. I love making fruit desserts like this one for my family- loaded with great stuff from the apples, prunes, oats and nuts.

Apple Prune Crisp

*Note: This recipe calls for chopped nuts. I try to keep a big bag of chopped, toasted nuts in my freezer at all times since it's one of those steps I really don't like doing. Chop up a few cups of your favorite baking nut- I use pecans, mostly- and toast them for 8-10 mins at 350 degrees. Cool them down and stash them in a Ziploc Freezer bag. No need to thaw them, toss them right in. Come holiday time, you'll be so glad you did this. Also, in my opinion, toasting your nuts first makes every recipe taste better- especially pecan pie- but that's a different post. And, if the prunes truly bother you, leave them out. It's my own addition. I've officially become one of "those moms", trying to up my family's fiber count every chance I get. This is an easy one since they melt right into the apples.

Ingredients

For the topping:
1/2 cup flour 
1/2 cup rolled oats 
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup sugar 
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
1/2 cup coarsely chopped prunes 
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, depending on the tartness of the apples 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
7 medium apples 

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, optional

Directions 

Position rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously butter a 2-quart, 2-inch deep baking dish.

To make the topping: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

To make the filling: Quarter and core the apples. Cut each quarter into 3 or 4 chunks. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the prunes, cinnamon, and sugar.

Scrape the mixture into the buttered baking dish and spread it evenly. Distribute the crumbly topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours, until the topping is crisp and browned and the juices are bubbling and thickened. (If your apples were a little dry, you may not see any juices until the very end of the baking time.) Serve warm or cold with the topping of your choice.



recipe source: modified from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich