Apple Biscoff Crumble

We love love LOVE LOVE Biscoff cookies in our house. An absolute favorite. (You get the idea…) When I saw this recipe, it had to be made ASAP!! We ate it warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. It transported us to a Parisian bistro with every bite. Easy and fabulous!!

This recipe was adapted from Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere by Dorie Greenspan. I used a combination of Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith apples. Greenspan suggests that any fruit can be substituted for the apples (making it a year-round dessert!!): peaches, nectarines, plums, berries, or cherries in the summer, pears, bananas, or pineapple in the winter, or a holiday mix of cranberries, apples, dried fruit and nuts. I’m pretty sure we’ll be eating it at least once a season! 🙂

• 2 pounds (900 grams) apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 T granulated sugar
• 3 T plump raisins
• 1 package (about 8 oz) Biscoff or other speculoos cookies
• 1 stick (8 T) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks, at room temperature
• vanilla bean ice cream for serving

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (on convection).
2. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan or a baking dish that holds 4 to 5 cups. Put the dish on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the sugar and raisins. Set aside, but stir occasionally while assembling the topping.
4. Using your hands, break the cookies into pieces in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss, turn and press the cookies and butter with your fingers, working them together until you have a fairly well-blended ball. (You want the cookies to stick together.)
5. Stir the apple mixture and then pour it into the prepared baking dish. Spoon any accumulated juices over the mixture.
6. Pull off bits of the crumble mixture and strew it over the apples- you should have enough to practically cover all of the fruit.
7. Bake the crumble for 25 minutes and then tent it with foil to prevent over-browning. Continue to bake an additional 10 to 20 minutes, or until the topping is deeply brown and the fruit is bubbling.
8. Transfer to a cooling rack and let it cool until it is just warm. (It can also be eaten at room temperature.) Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

Two Years Ago:

• Banana-Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
• Blueberry Buttermilk Waffles

If you like this you may also like:

• Speculoos
• Biscoff Crunch & Swirl Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

My friend who doesn’t eat dessert (crazy!) invited us to dinner. I like to bring dessert to her house to make sure we don’t skip an important course. 🙂 Her husband loves apple crisp and she loves the Barefoot Contessa, so this was the perfect recipe.

I made one huge tart (for the dinner party) and two mini-tarts (for us to enjoy the next day). The topping was fabulous! This recipe was adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That are Really Fun by Ina Garten. I used 2 1/2 pounds of McIntosh apples and 2 1/2 pounds of Cortland apples. Such a perfect autumn dessert- the house smelled wonderful while it baked too. We ate it warm with vanilla bean ice cream on the side.

Yield: Serves 10

For the Filling:

• 5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples (I used 1/2 Cortland apples)
• Grated zest of 1 naval orange
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

For the Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 14 x 2-inch oval baking dish. (I used cooking spray on a round 12 x 1 1/2-inch tart dish, and 2 mini pie dishes.)
2. Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish(es).   
3. Make the Topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.
4. Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for one hour for the large pan and one half hour for the small pans. The top should be brown and the apples bubbly. Serve warm- with vanilla ice cream, if desired.