Holiday Apple Crisp

With the rush of the holiday season upon us, I thought it would be best to keep it simple here on the blog.  Warm apple crisp is like the mac n' cheese of desserts for me.  A perfect simple comfort food.  The recipe is easy to make and even easier to enjoy.  I promise if you close your eyes while taking your first bite you will be transported to the Braverman's amazing backyard (for all you Parenthood fans) sitting under the cafe lights around that beautiful wood table.   Or, maybe just your own family table at home for the holidays where Grandma made dessert just like this.

Holiday Apple Crisp

Ingredients

4 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1-1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil, liquid form

Vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a 1-1/2 quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the apples, lemon juice, ground cinnamon and turbinado sugar.  Pour the apple mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, brown sugar, flour, clove, and ginger.  Pour in the 1/2 cup of coconut oil.  Stir well until the mixture is combined and the oats are covered in the coconut oil.  Pour the crumble topping over the apples.

Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes, until the crumble has browned and the apples are bubbling.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.  Serve warm with ice cream.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Two Ingredient Ice Cream

OK I'm going to complain again for only one second that I can't turn on my oven during the day because of the weather.  Ugh!!  I have so many wonderful fall recipes that I'm hoping to share soon, before it turns winter!  So for now I will be doing some simple and fun recipes that doesn't require the oven.

I don't know if you've been to Trader Joe's lately and discovered that they have now made an ice cream with their super addicting Speculoos Cookie Butter.  Well unfortunately and fortunately I have.  I'm a sucker for trying out all of their new products and this one without a doubt jumped into my already overflowing grocery cart.  

My husband and I at first went slow and savored each bite of a small bowl declaring it is the best ice cream we've had in a while.  Then we decided it needed to be made into a pumpkin beer float, which was of course, incredible.  Then we found ourselves sneaking spoonfuls from the freezer and by the end of the week we were scraping the bottom of the carton not to leave any ounce of cookie butter behind.  Indulgent?  Maybe.  Feeling a bit guilty?  Yes.

To calm my guilty feelings and cookie butter cravings I decided to make my own version with just two  ingredients.  Yes, TWO ingredients!!  All you need is frozen bananas, cookie butter and a food processor to blend it until it makes that creamy delicious ice cream.  I admit it's not quite the same but it's definitely pretty darn good!  

Banana Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas, chopped and frozen 
1/4 cup Speculoos Cookie Butter, creamy or crunchy (substitutes: peanut butter, Nutella, chocolate fudge)

Place the frozen bananas into a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Add the cookie butter and pulse until combined.  The texture will be creamy like soft serve ice cream.  You can enjoy immediately or place into an airtight container and place into the freezer for about 20-30 minutes until frozen.  Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.  Makes 2 cups.

Peanut Butter S'mores Cheescake

I made this cheesecake about a week ago and planned to wait to blog about it until mid-September.  I have to admit I was waiting for the weather to become a bit cooler since I baked it on a day when the temperature was in the triple digits. No one should be turning on their oven in that kind of heat!  However, my "official tasters" (my neighbors and friends) won't shut up about the Peanut Butter S'mores Cheesecake I shared with them, in a really good way.  Since it's already made its debut on Twitter and Instagram, thanks to my "tasters,"  I figured I should put my other recipes on hold and share this one instead. I hope you all enjoy it as much as all of my dear friends and neighbors did!

Peanut Butter S'mores Cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Crust:

Ingredients
2 cups honey graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a small mixing bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar.  Add the melted butter and combine using a fork making sure the butter is evenly distributed.  Pour the graham cracker crust into a 9 inch springform pan.  Spread the graham cracker crumbs evenly and gently press them into the pan.  Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes.  The crust should be golden brown and fragrant.  Remove from the oven and set aside.


Filling:

Ingredients
16 ounces cream cheese, soften
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter and flour together until smooth and creamy.  Add the 4 eggs one at a time scraping the sides between each one.  Slowly add the milk and vanilla extract and beat until combined.  Carefully pour the filling into the springform pan on top of the graham cracker crust.

Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 35-45 minutes.  The cheesecake will be ready when the edges are set and the center wiggles.  Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes.  This allows the cheesecake to set.  Transfer the cheesecake in the springform pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.


Topping:

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 - 12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Once the cheesecake has cooled completely, spread the Marshmallow Fluff on top.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips covering the cheesecake completely.  Refrigerate overnight.

Serves 8-10.


Note: For my west coast readers, if you can't find the original Marshmallow Fluff in your local grocery store look for it at World Market.