6mediumfirm, sweet apples such as Gala or Braeburn
Instructions
Place oats, flour, sugar, salt, and oil in food processor and pulse just until mixed. Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. Do not over mix – you don’t want the oats to turn to flour.
Add honey and pulse several times until mixed. Mixture should be crumbly, but moist. Add a tablespoon or so of water or apple juice if needed to make the mixture moist.
Add nuts and process just until mixed. Set aside.
Chop cranberries if desired. (This step is optional depending on if you want the cranberry flavor blended throughout the filling or just an occasional tart cranberry taste here and there.)
Stir together cranberries, juice concentrate, sweetener, and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl.
Wash apples. Peel if desired. Remove core and cut into thin slices or very small cubes. (I like to use my food chopper because it cuts the apples into small, uniform pieces in one-third of the time it takes me to cut them with a knife.)
Add to mixing bowl. Mix well.
Transfer apple mixture to an oiled 8-inch x 8-inch or 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Evenly distribute topping mixture over apples.
Cover and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until topping in nicely browned. Different varieties of honey will cause the topping to brown at different rates, so adjust baking time as needed. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
1. Regular rolled oats work best in this recipe, but quick-cooking oats will work fine too. Use gluten-free oats if desired.2. If you’d like a less sweet crisp, eliminate or reduce the amount of sugar in the topping.3. A food processor makes an easy job of mixing, but if you don’t have a food processor you can use a fork to mix the ingredients.