Better Brown Betty

Hello again everyone! Today officially marks the first day of fall, and that means that certain fruits and veggies are hitting their peak. One fall baking staple in particular, the apple, is at its prime this time of year. We recently made a trip to a local orchard (full post on that coming soon) and had our pick of some absolutely loaded honey crisp apple trees.

We came home with nearly 3 dozen apples and set out to use some of them to make up some great baked treats. Our first recipe was an adaptation on the classic apple brown betty.

The Recipe: Apple Brown Betty
Original Recipe From: The Complete America's Cookbook

What You'll Need:

For the bread crumbs: 
4 Slices High Quality Sandwich Bread (Torn into quarters)
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2 Tablespoons Packed Light Brown Sugar

For the filling: 
1/4 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 Pounds Granny Smith Apples (Peeled, cored, cubed)
1 1/2 Pounds Golden Delicious Apples (Peeled, cored, cubed)
1 1/4 Cups Apple Cider


To make the bread crumbs, combine the bread pieces, butter and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes coarse (5 to 10 pulses). Transfer the mixture to a 12 inch skillet and toast the bread crumbs over medium heat until they become golden brown, this takes between 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the crumbs to a paper towel lined plate and set aside for later.

To make the filling, combine the brown sugar and other spices in a small bowl. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a 12 inch skillet over high heat. Stir in the granny smith apples and 1/2 of the sugar mixture. Distribute the apples evenly across the skillet and allow them to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the apples have become tender and golden brown, transfer them to a small bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and repeat the previous process using the golden delicious apples and the remaining sugar mixture. After the apples have become golden brown, add the apple cider to the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon to work up any browned on bits. Allow the mixture to simmer until the cider thickens slightly - this takes an additional 5 to 7 minutes.

Here's where we went 'rogue' from the original recipe. The original instructions tell you to return the other apples to the skillet with the golden delicious apples and to top with the bread crumbs. Sounds nice in theory - but unless you're using a supremely high sided skillet, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

We opted to avoid a stovetop apple catastrophe and instead broke out a deep sided baking dish. Set the oven to 350 degrees and combine the apples in the baking dish, topped with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the baking dish in the oven, and allow the mixture to bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the breadcrumb topping turns a deep golden brown.

Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving with ice cream or cool whip. Enjoy!

The result:

It's apples, plus brown sugar and a breading - baked and topped with something sweet. We don't have to tell you now this turned out, we all know it's delicious!