Crisp, cobbler or crumble? Choose your own topping adventure — just make sure your base is apple.
The Classic Crisp Topping recipe below has all the delicious flavor of an oatmeal cookie, and even more texture. It’s a variation of Nancy Silverton’s crisp topping from “The Cookie That Changed My Life” (which I co-wrote), with a handful of extra oats added.
The Spiced Whole Wheat Crumble Topping has a little less sugar than the others; whole wheat flour gives it an earthy quality that complements the sweet apple filling. Instead of pumpkin spice, you can use an apple pie or chai spice blend or any combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice and mace.
The simple Snickerdoodle Cobbler Topping is based on the Any/All Fruit Crisp in “Life at the Dumpling,” a handbook for a homemade life written and illustrated by Trisha Cole Walrath. Cream of tartar adds a bit of chewiness to what is otherwise a cinnamon-laced sugar cookie; it’s what makes a Snickerdoodle a Snickerdoodle.
The Nutty Gluten-Free Crisp Topping passes my test for any gluten-free recipe: I would make it, serve it and enjoy it whether it was gluten-free or not. For a crunchy topping that stands up to the juicy filling, I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
Use a 9- or 10-inch deep-dish round ceramic pie pan or baking dish, or a cast-iron skillet. (You also can use a pie pan with similar surface area, such as an 8- or 9-inch square, or an 11-or 12-inch oval.) I made these in a 9-inch Emile Henry pie pan. But don’t go out and buy a baking dish for this. Make what you have work.
This filling is sweet but not cloying. If you want to cut the sweetness even further, cut the sugars by as much as half and you’ll still have something that tastes like dessert, not health food.
Read the companion story: As American as … apple crisp. Easier than apple pie
