Nana's Apple Crunch: A Sweet Lesson in Family & Flavor

: from Sheila's kitchen by way of Kim's recipe file (scroll to bottom for printable recipe card)

When a Kentucky girl like me married into a New England family, I thought I had a pretty good handle on home cooking. I was raised on southern staples such as ham, pinto beans and cornbread, and our idea of shortcake involved mashing it all together with cream and sugar. (Yes, mashed fruit shortcake—and if you’ve never tried it, don’t knock it until you do. It’s a thing of beauty!)

But stepping into my husband’s family traditions opened my eyes—and my taste buds—to a whole new world of recipes. Who knew that “beans” could mean anything other than pintos? Or that dessert could be both effortless and divine? We want to share this deLISH family recipe with you so you too can add it to your fave's. When pulling out the handed-down recipe card, we saw that it was from my husband's great-grandmother...so it's officially 5+ generations old in the Hannan Fam.

One of the first sweet surprises I was introduced to became an instant favorite in our southern-meets-northern household. We have made it for every holiday, every gathering, and frankly, plenty of Wednesdays just because. Simple, satisfying, and soul-warming—meet Nana's Apple Crunch.

Apple Crunch Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz) can apple pie filling

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour (gluten-free flour blends work beautifully too)

• 1 stick of real butter, softened to room temperature

• 1 cup sugar (or for diabetic-friendly: ½ cup erythritol, ½ cup xylitol)

• Ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Spread the apple pie filling evenly in an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.

3. Sprinkle a generous layer of cinnamon over the apples.

4. In a separate bowl, use a dough blender or two forks to cut the softened butter into chunks.

5. Add sugar and continue blending by hand.

6. Add flour and mix until the dough forms coarse crumbs, about dime-sized.

7. Sprinkle this crumb mixture evenly over the apple filling.

8. Top with another hearty dusting of cinnamon.

9. Bake for 1 hour, until the topping is golden and crisp.

10. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving—if you can wait that long.

    
    

Serving Suggestion:

Serve warm on its own, or go all-in with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream melting over the top. It’s comfort in a dish, no matter where you call home.

Double it and bake in 9x13 dish.

One of many holiday meals that is concluded with generous heaps of Apple Crisp

Click for downloadable 4x6 recipe card