Spice Kissed Breadcrumb Apple Crisp

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I started cooking for Brian and I the first fall we spent together. Before that, I was a pretty typical 20-something who lived off sandwiches and microwave meals. Yes, true story. One of the first gluten-free desserts I attempted to make was an apple crisp, after I’d convinced him to go to the orchard and proceed to lug around ten pounds of apples we’d picked.

It has become our tradition every September, but oddly enough, my apple crisp recipe never stays the same except for using a mix of tart and sweet apples, along with pumpkin pie spice (it doesn’t have to be used exclusively for pumpkin – the combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, is so lovely with apples too!).

Crisps/crumbles/cobblers…. it’s one of the few baking categories that doesn’t require exact precision, which my pantry loves.

Using Breadcrumbs to Make Apple Crisp

This non-traditional apple crisp came to be when I realized I’d ran out of oats, and all I could think about was that bubbling pan of cozy coming out of the oven.

But I did have a few slices of gluten-free bread hiding out in the freezer, which I promptly turned into breadcrumbs. And pecans. Brown sugar. And butter.

It turned out cozy, and comforting, with a generous crisp topping that’s nutty and toasted just right. Even beyond the breadcrumbs, the pecans alone give you plenty of delicious crunch to sink your teeth into.

A little rustic, with a heavy dose of fall.

As you’ll see, I peeled the apples, but if you’re really in a hurry, you can totally skip that. Bonus points for extra fiber. ;)

And at any rate, it’ll save you a few extra minutes for scooping ice cream that melts gloriously into pockets of warm apples. Amen.

More Apple Recipes:

• The Best Homemade Apple Butter
• Vegan Bean Salad with Apples and Thyme Vinaigrette
• Light, Flaky Gluten-Free Apple Pie

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Spice Kissed Breadcrumb Apple Crisp

Use stale bread to make a breadcrumb topping for this delicious apple crisp! The toasted breadcrumbs are tossed with butter, pecans, and spices, and the apples soften as they bake.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time :20 minutes minutes

Cook Time :45 minutes minutes

Total Time :1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Amanda Paa

Ingredients

• 2 pink lady apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice divided
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
• 4 slices stale bread, gluten-free or regular
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• pinch of salt
• ice cream for topping

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• In a large bowl, mix together apples, 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/3 cup brown sugar, salt and tapioca starch, so dry ingredients coat the apples. Set aside.
• In a food processor, pulse the torn bread until about 10 times. Then add pecans and pulse until all are uniform sandy crumbs. Toast in a dry skillet for about 5 minutes, until just fragrant. Do not overbrown. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice, 1/3 cup brown sugar, melted butter and generous pinch of salt.
• In the bottom of a greased casserole pan, sprinkle 3/4 cup of the crumble. Then add apples, patting down lightly. Top with remaining crumble.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, putting aluminum foil lightly over the top 20 minutes into baking to avoid top becoming too brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.