OCTOBER 5TH: NATIONAL APPLE BETTY DAY! 🌞

[justaprogressive]

Apple Brown Betty
By Diana Rattray
Published on 10/15/23

Brown is beautiful.


Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Yield: 1 (9-inch) pan

Apple brown Betty is a baked fruit dessert with a sweetened crumb crust. This classic
rustic layered dessert—similar to an apple crisp or crumble—can be whipped up quickly,
making it an excellent alternative to a more time-consuming apple pie or cake. There's
no need to fuss with a pie crust or batter; you only need a simple sweetened and spiced
buttery crumb mixture and sliced fresh apples.

Apple brown Betty is a fabulous dessert for a family meal or holiday feast, and it’s portable
enough to wrap and take along to a neighborhood cookout or potluck. If you're looking for
an autumn dessert that’s sure to please everyone, you can't go wrong with apple brown Betty.

Apple Brown Betty History

The dessert has been around for well over 150 years, the title first appearing in print in an 1864
issue of "Yale Literary Magazine." The recipe creator is unknown, but it is assumed her name was Betty.



Ingredients

1/2 cup (113 grams) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, more for greasing the pan
4 to 6 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (6 to 8 cups)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup (99 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (165 grams) brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 F.

Grease a 9-inch square baking dish or pan.

Toss 4 to 6 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (6 to 8 cups) in a bowl with 2
tablespoons lemon juice and set aside.

Combine 3/4 cup (99 grams) all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup (165 grams) brown sugar,
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon
ground nutmeg, 1 pinch ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt in the bowl of a food
processor and pulse to blend.

With the food processor running, add 1/2 cup (113 grams) chilled unsalted butter,
cut into 1/2-inch cubes, a few pieces at a time, and continue processing until the
mixture is well blended and crumbs form.

Alternatively, cut the butter into the dry mixture with a pastry blender or your fingers
until well blended and crumbs form.

Arrange half of the apple slices in the prepared baking dish and top with half of the
crumb mixture. Repeat with the remaining apples and crumb mixture.

Bake until the topping is browned and the apples are tender, 45 to 55 minutes.
Let cool slightly before serving.


How To Store and Reheat

Cover and refrigerate leftover apple brown Betty and enjoy it within 5 days.
To freeze baked apple brown Betty, cover it tightly with foil and label it with the name and date.
Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the apple brown Betty in the fridge overnight.

Reheat apple brown Betty in a 350 F oven until warm, 20 to 25 minutes.


Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

Gluten-free apple brown Betty—
Replace the wheat flour with an equal amount of gluten-free flour, the "one-to-one" kind with xanthan gum.

Apple brown Betty with breadcrumbs—
Replace the flour with 2 cups of plain breadcrumbs, using only 6 tablespoons of butter. Melt the butter
and toss with the breadcrumbs. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and spices, and follow
the recipe instructions for layering and baking.

Change up the spices—
Replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with 1 1/2 teaspoons of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/apple-brown-betty-recipe-7693670

Enjoy the apples!

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Oh - this was

A Fall staple in my house growing up.

[elleng]

2. Thanks!

My early years after college, living alone, something similar was among my 'go to' dishes, maybe with peaches; recipe gone from my mind years ago (like Hollandaise!)