This is the last day of and the last post for 2020. Ending the year on a sweet note seems to be in order. More than likely we all have a list of words to describe how we felt or what we thought of the past year. So after giving a fair amount of reflection on what my words were at various times, I am going to settle in on just one. Gratitude. The word is derived from the Latin word 'gratia', which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. Defined as "the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness", gratitude is more than being thankful or showing thankfulness. The sheer expression of gratitude generates more positive emotional energy, better enables us to deal with adversity, strengthens our connections to others, and contributes to better physical and emotional health. In other words gratitude, is one of the keys to a life filled with greater happiness. To helping us refocus our energies on what we have rather than what is missing. But if I am going to be completely honest, I had spent more than my fair share of moments over the past year lamenting on what I was missing. Gratitude served as my reset button, my lifeline when I was getting close to viewing the year as a lost one. It gave me energy when I needed it most. There was a moment in early December when I seriously considered not baking for the holidays or putting together cookie boxes for friends and neighbors. As I wasn't certain I had either the enthusiasm or energy for continuing my time intensive annual tradition. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized these little expressions of gratitude actually generated more energy than the energy needed to create them. Such is the power of gratitude. In looking ahead to 2021, I believe gratitude will be one of the things reminding me to remain hopeful as well as to be optimistic for the future. Because as long as we feel and express gratitude, nothing is ever really lost.
My blog will be turning nine in 2021! It's almost hard to believe. There have been days when I wondered why I keep it going. Why I continue to be a microscopic fish in the ginormous food blogging sea. You may already guess the answer to these musings. Yes, it's gratitude. When friends and even strangers (who then sometimes become friends) show up again and again to support and encourage me, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and a boost of energy. Creating takes energy, involves risk, and can be downright scary at times. But knowing just one person believes in me is enough to keep me going, to inspire me to continue to evolve in the worlds of food and photography. So let me simply say thank you to all of you have followed me, encouraged me, learned something from me, and supported me. I am truly very grateful.
To show my gratefulness, I am going to share with you a recipe I first discovered and then revised fifteen years ago. Yes, I know I have shared recipes for apple crisps with you before. And I have loved each and every one. But this one, the Caramelized Apple Toffee Crisp a la Mode, could be the best one of them all. It would be the one I would enter in a apple crisp throw down. And it would be the one I would serve when I wanted to show gratitude.
Originally I had planned to make this Caramelized Apple Toffee Crisp a la Mode for dessert for Christmas using the last of the Granny Smith apples we picked at the orchard. But with so many other cookies and candies competing for attention, I decided it was best to wait.
There are a few things that make this crisp different from all of the others. This one is made with walnuts. None of the other crisp recipes have nuts in them. This one uses toffee bits in the topping. An ingredient you won't find in any of the other recipes. Lastly, the apples are tossed in with some melted unsalted butter (along with a few other ingredients). Which is what I believe helps to create the caramel-like sauce coating the baked apples. All of these things combined create the most mouthwatering, incredibly delicious apple crisps.
For this recipe, I suggest using medium sized versus large/super sized Granny Smith apples to get the most evenly sized cut apple wedges. These will be neither too large or too small and will bake up beautifully. However, if your apples are on the large size, you might need to get 5 cut wedges from each half (or 10 pieces per apple) versus 4 cut wedges per half (or 8 pieces per apple).
Baking time for the crisp ranges from 50-60 minutes. Spoiler alert! The aroma coming out of your oven is intoxicating!
This Caramelized Apple Toffee Crisp a la Mode is a perfect cold weather dessert! Nothing warms you up more than a bowl of warm, just out of the oven, heaping serving of apple crisp. Topping it with some really good vanilla ice cream will help to warm your soul. Because even in the winter ice cream is still an irresistible treat.
Tart apples swimming in a lovely caramel like sauce and the crunchy buttery topping is a heavenly combination of flavors and textures. Which explains why I think this may be the best apple crisp of all! The Caramelized Apple Toffee Crisp a la Mode is a great example of what gratitude looks and taste like. Everyone who takes a bite will feel deliriously happy. Quite possibly it will set a tone of hope and optimism for the new year ahead.
Happy 2021 to you all! Thank you again for being here!
Recipe
Caramelized Apple Toffee Crisp a la Mode
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Crisp
3 pounds (1,380g) medium sized Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Topping
1 cup (115g) walnuts, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup (102g) Toffee Bits, plus 1-2 Tablespoons more for topping crisp before baking
2/3 cup (87g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (45g) Old-fashioned oatmeal (not quick oats)
8 Tablespoons (113g) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Have a 10 inch round or 11" x 9" cast iron or baking dish ready.
2. Cut the peeled, cored apples in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 pieces. Note: If your apples are large sized, you may need to cut each apple half into 5 pieces.
3. Place apple slices in the baking pan/dish. Toss with the melted butter and lemon juice.
4. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and Kosher salt. Sprinkle over the apples and toss.
5. In a medium sized bowl, add in the walnuts, toffee bits, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and oats. Mix well.
6. Add in the diced butter and rub mixture together using your fingers until it resembles pea-sized clumps.
7. Evenly scatter the topping over the apples. Sprinkle the additional Tablespoons of toffee bits on top.
8. Bake the crisp on the center rack in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown.
9. Let the crisp rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Spoon into dishes and top with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then sit back and just let that overwhelming feeling of happiness flow through your veins!
Notes: (1) Do not use chocolate covered toffee bits, just plain toffee bits. (2) The crisp can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead and left uncovered at room temperature. If serving warm reheat in a preheated 350 degrees (F) oven for 15 minutes.
