Warm Apple Crumble

On Wednesday, fall will be officially here! Fall is my favorite time of year. It's not too cold, and it's not too hot. It's just the perfect balance of summer and winter. Not to mention, my favorite treats revolve around autumn! Cinnamon, maple, brown sugar, pumpkin, apple, yam, etc. I love all the warm, inviting smells of autumn desserts!

So what better way to celebrate the new season than to make something that encompasses that little essence of fall? To me, apple crumble is the perfect fall dessert. It's warm and crispy. It smells amazing when you put it in the oven...and it tastes even better when shared with friends and served over icecream. What dessert could be a better fall-time treat? If you're still not convinced, you will be by the end of this recipe.

Non-edible Materials:

Ungreased 9-inch round pan. Preferably glass.
A fork!

Edible Materials:

For the Crust...
1 cup of all-purpose flour.
1/2 cup of sugar.
1/2 cup of stick butter.

For the Apple Filling...
1/2 cup of sugar.
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
3/4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon.
1 1/2 cups of sliced Granny Smith apples. Slices should be thin.

For the Crumble...
2/3 cup of all-purpose flour.
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar.
1/4 cup of stick butter.

Time to get messy!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the Crust...

2. Pour sugar and flour into a medium-sized bowl and mix together.
3. Cut the butter into pieces, and begin to mix with the sugar and flour.
4. When the mixture is crumbly, pour it into the bottom of a round pan, and press it down easily. You can use the bottom of a measuring cup as well.
4. Bake for 25 minutes.

For the Apple Filling...

5. Begin to peel and slice the apples.
6. When they are sliced, set them aside and grab another medium-sized bowl. In this bowl, mix the cinnamon, flour and sugar together.
7. Pour the apples into the mixture and stir until they are completely coated.

For the Crumble...

8. Set aside the apple topping. In a small bowl, mix all of the crumble ingredients and repeat the steps for the crust.

9. When the crust is finished baking, spoon the apple filling over top.
10. If you have cinnamon-sugar, you can sprinkle some over top.
11. Pour the crumble over top of the apples.
12. Bake for 30 minutes! When the crumble is a lovely golden brown color and the apples are soft and tender, you're all done! Let it cool for 25 minutes after removing from heat.
13. Serve warm with icecream! If you're eating some the next day, microwave it for 15 seconds on high.