I should begin by telling you that when I decided on this recipe, it was under the assumption that there were plenty of apples in the fridge. I remember buying the apples, and I didn't eat the apples... but I don't live alone. The apples were all but gone when I went to retrieve them. So instead of making an Apple Crunch, I'm making a Pear-Apple Crunch (4 pears and 1 apple). I'm glad the kids are choosing healthy snacks, I don't want you to think I'm complaining. I had to laugh it off.
So other than subbing out a different fruit, this recipe is true to form. Sort of. The written recipe on the card below is word for word, the same as the original. However, I chose to make this one Gluten Free and Vegan so that I could be my own taste tester for once (not really, I've also tried these recipes: Grapefruit Avocado Salad, Thousand Island Dressing, Potato Chip Cookies).
If you're following the glutenous version, use the recipe card below. For the allergy friendly version, use the following:
5 Medium Baking Apples
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 C. Sugar
1 T. Oil (of choice)
1 Flax Egg
1/2 C. GF Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
The instructions are otherwise the same, regardless of which version you decide to make. You can make these by hand, using a pastry blender, or throw it all into your mixer of choice. I opted for my Kitchenaid Mixer. It's the BEST! As for peeling and slicing your apples, if you have a peeler/corer, they work super well until one day they don't. Mine had a snag in the system a few years ago and hasn't been quite the same since. It still works, but only when it wants to. And it doesn't like to stick to my lovely quartz countertops, making the use of it next to impossible. But if you have one and you have formica, you can peel and slice a dozen apples in less time that it takes you to read this sentence! This morning, to save time, I decided not to peel my pears or apple. Most are sliced, some are in cubes. I'm anything but lazy, I swear.
So now that the dough has come together, I can NOT believe I got out my mixer. I can because it was a challenge to bring it together. But look how little there is in the bowl! What is even funnier is that there doesn't appear to be enough batter for the top. I ended up downsizing from tablespoon scoops to 1/2 tablespoon scoops, and at least I was able to make more than 5 dollops, but still... look at it.
A little history:
This recipe was written by my Great-Grandmother, Mary Cornelia Southcombe Bundy. Born in 1872, she raised 8 children to adulthood. My Grandma, Lala, was likely her most stubborn child, a trait that carried with her into her final years. My ability to write something off that has wronged me in some way... that's a DNA stubborn streak (fake science, but maybe 23andme.com can prove it one day). Mary Cornelia's was a woman of the land. She was born and raised on Illinois farmland, and did the same with her own children. She used ingredients that were readily available, and affordable. I'm not surprised that there isn't enough topping for this dish. If I were to cover the whole thing, I'd easily have to double or triple the topping recipe and then the ingredients wouldn't stretch as far to feed a large family.
When placing the topping, I was reminded of a fantastic Peach Blueberry Cobbler recipe I found in the New Pioneer Coop magazine about 20 years ago. The dollops of topping on the cobbler were not that different than on this crunch, with the exception of quantity. Also, the cobbler topping is much more biscuit like. I don't know how to describe what the topping is on the crunch. You're guess is as good as mine. While in the oven, it seems to have grown slightly.
The problem with the topping is ALL my fault. I had cobbler on the brain and didn't understand why the ingredients were so dry and not really pulling together. They were crumbly, which in hindsight, was likely the perfect topping for a crunch recipe and would have easily been able to spread across the whole dessert. DO NOT ADD WATER, IT WILL NOT HELP IN THE LONG RUN! If this isn't fun/funny, I don't know what it happening. Although, the way my life has been propelling forward at the speed of light, with a broken brake handle, this is really not that unusual. I have four (4!) part time jobs (and I volunteer a few hours each week so maybe we should just say 5, plus I'm a parent and my kids must still think I'm a stay at home mom with all the shlepping and meal making that goes on), and I think my mind is being pulled in too many directions. I can't believe I added water and didn't think the whole thing through but here we are.
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| This is the original recipe. It continues on the backside. For a full recipe, refer to the included recipe card. |
If you're in Central Wisconsin and are interested in being a part of a group taste testing, email me your name and best way to contact you. If you like this recipe, you're going to love the other foods produced by Caught Red Threaded. To find out more, visit Caught Red Threaded. Be sure to leave a comment in the thread below to let me know how this turned out when you made it (and photos are always welcome!), and follow Caught Red Threaded on Facebook and Instagram for exclusive offers and ideas.
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