Description
Apple Brown Betty is a comforting fall dessert featuring thinly sliced fresh apples tossed with lemon juice and topped with a sweet, buttery crumb topping made from flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Baked until the topping is crisp and the apples are tender, it’s perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
Scale
Apples
- 4-6 large apples (peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, e.g., Honeycrisp)
- 1 lemon (halved, for juice)
Topping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup cold butter (1 cube)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the dessert evenly.
- Prepare the apples: Peel, core, and thinly slice 4-6 large apples. Place the apple slices into a 9×9 inch baking dish. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon evenly over the apples and toss gently to coat them well and prevent browning.
- Make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Add the cold butter cube and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture becomes crumbly with little to no dry flour left.
- Assemble and bake: Evenly sprinkle the crumb topping over the coated apples in the baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil to retain moisture and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Finish baking uncovered: Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10-20 minutes until the topping turns golden brown and crisp.
- Serve: Let the Apple Brown Betty cool slightly, then serve warm, ideally topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a classic pairing.
Notes
- This version uses no oats in the topping, opting instead for a simple flour and butter crumb mixture.
- Honeycrisp apples are recommended for their balance of sweetness and tartness, but other baking apples can be used.
- Serving warm with vanilla ice cream enhances the comforting flavors and textures.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 197 kcal
- Sugar: 34 g
- Sodium: 6 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
