Apple Crisp for Breakfast: a recipe for anytime of day

Fall in Vermont is apple season.  

The first week of October, when my mother-in-law was visiting, we went apple picking in Cabot at Burtt’s Orchard, for what’s becoming a family tradition with Gammy.  This year, Waylon actually helped pick the apples, which was good because there were *so many apples.*

Up and down the rows we went, seeking out specific varieties for eating and baking and storing.

160+ lbs later, we loaded 8 different varieties into the car and headed home, our bellies full to the max with apples, apple cider, and apple cider doughnuts.

Now what to do with all those apples?  Make apple crisp of course!

And pie, and muffins, and, apple oatmeal, applesauce…you get the picture.  

But first, apple crisp.  

Our favorite thing about apple crisp in our family is that you can eat it anytime of day.  Make it for dessert one night and top it with whipped cream. The next morning, add a dollop of yogurt and call it breakfast.  Really, it’s glorified apple oatmeal, baked instead of cooked on the stovetop, and because of this you can feel good about eating it anytime.

I keep it wholesome by using maple syrup as the only sweetener.  At its most basic, the recipe is just oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, flax eggs, and butter.  From there, you can spice it up with ginger, throw in some raisins and nuts, or grate in lemon zest.  Toss in some cranberries if you’re feeling festive. It’s really so flexible, you can’t go wrong.

Since I bake crisps by feel rather than by specific measurements, I offer you this apple crisp recipe improv.  Feel free to tweak it to your liking, and enjoy a delicious and good-for-you dessert anytime of day.

Anytime Apple Crisp Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Large apples, cut in 1-2” chunks
• 2 C Rolled oats
• 1 Stick butter or ½ Cup Coconut Oil, melted
• ½ Maple Syrup
• 2 Flax eggs* or real eggs
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg
• Pinch or two of sea salt
• Optional: ginger, raisins, lemon zest, cashews, almonds, walnuts
  

Instructions:

*Waylon is allergic to eggs, so we use flax meal to replace the eggs.  To make 1 flax egg: combine 1 TBS flax meal with 3 TBS water, let sit 10 minutes or more, until the mixture is gelatinous.  Speed the process up by using hot water.

• Preheat oven to 375ºF
  
• Place cut apples into a 9” pie plate and toss with a pinch or two of cinnamon.  If using, mix in ginger, raisins, or lemon zest.
  
• In a medium bowl, combine oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt.  
  
• Add in melted butter, flax eggs, and maple syrup, and stir to combine.  If using, add in nuts and stir to combine.
  
• Taste oats and add more maple syrup if desired.
  
• Spread oat mixture evenly on top of apples, and put in the oven to bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the crisp is nicely browned and the apples are bubbling on the edges.  
  
• Serve warm or cold with yogurt, whipped cream, ice cream, or coconut ice cream, depending on the time of day.

I know I’m breaking all the internet recipe blog rules, but I didn’t take any pictures of this crisp.

We ate it too fast—as much as I wanted to show you what it looked like, my family wanted to eat it even more.  So you’ll have to take my word for it.  I promise, it was delicious.  

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What your favorite apple recipe?  Let me know in the comments below!  And if you try this anytime apple crisp, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you.