oh HAIIIII. this past weekend i did ALL the fall things. which, because i'm the most basic person i know, meant apple picking. YES.

is there an activity on the planet that symbolizes fall more? i think not.

what kind of apples do you pick when you go picking? I was ALL about the macintosh. because YUM. and red delicious are the worst. can we agree? yellow delicious are a second worst. yes? glad we're on the same page.

frankie and my mom threw apples at me like jerks. but at least they had fun right? (they really did throw apples at me, the picture isn't staged i swear)

so after carting a bajillion pounds of apples back to new york on my megabus, i had to think of the BEST way to use them.

it didn't take me long….

because apple crisp is quite possibly my favorite dessert. ever.

when we lived in italy i used to make a version of this apple crisp that i'm sharing with you. I made it with muesli and granny smith apples (so good) and just baked it in little bowls we had in the apartment.

i used a melon baller to get cute little ball shapes in this crisp, but you can totally chop an apple into pieces if you don't have the patience.

i won't tell.

I think i learned how easy it was to throw together individual servings from my roommate at the time, lauren. thankssssss L xoxo.

I love granny smith in my apple crisps, but honestly I think i might prefer macintosh? is that wrong? they get so nice and smooth and gooey.

can i be a food blogger and say gooey?

my secret weapon this time around was using brown sugar! i like it better than plain old sugar, i think it gives a nice carmel-y flavor.

honestly, the proportions here might just be perfect… i wouldn't change a darn thing.

^ that melty cinnamon sugar butter… is… out. of. this. world. i might consider drinking it. just kidding… sort of. but i do want to put it on everything. EVERYTHING.

and then we bakeeeeee the apples by themselves so they get soft and perfect and lovely before adding the topping.

truth: you could probably stop here and have the BEST baked apples ever.

BUT CAN YOU SEE THE CINNAMON BUTTER BUBBLES CREEPING UP BETWEEN THE APPLES IN THE RAMEKIN? DO YOU SEE IT? ughhhh. i'm dying.

they look so glorious. and taste even better.

and then we're adding perfection to perfection.

you can do a different granola if you MUST. (i'd almost be willing to try a chocolate or something!) but i SWEAR by this sea salt caramel apple granola from Bear Naked. um. there are even dried apple pieces in it!

i melted a little extra butter and swirled that into the granola to make it a little moist (ew.) – mainly this was just to prevent it from straight up burning when you bake it, but i think it adds a nice flavor too!

also, can you tell i had a little help with this shoot?! my bff Britty from Hello Britty was visiting and volunteered to take a couple shots for me! (and she even models a little after the recipe!)

JUST YUM.

the end. (you're welcome.)

Apple Crisps for Two

Author: Ashley Renee
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 35
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 2 1x

Scale

Ingredients

2 macintosh apples
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup caramel apple granola

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Using a melon baller, cut balls out of the two apples ( or just chop the apple into pieces).
Melt two tablespoons of butter ( i stick it in the microwave for six seconds at a time until its melted!). Stir brown sugar and cinnamon into melted butter. Pour the butter over the apple balls and divide evenly into two ramekins. Bake for 20 minutes (i always put my ramekins on a cookie sheet so i don't have to struggle getting them in and out of the oven).
While the apples are baking, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and pour over the granola, stirring until combined.
After the apples have baked for twenty minutes, spoon the granola mixture on top and press it down gently with a spoon. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until the granola starts to brown on top.
Allow the ramekins to cool for a few minutes or serve immediately with oven mitts/pot holders to avoid burning yourself/guests on the ramekins!

Notes

this recipe is easily divided to make one crisp or doubled to make additional ones. always use 1 apple, 1.5 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of granola per crisp!