Golden Grahams Apple Crisp

Crisps and cobblers have always held a special place in my heart due to their homey-ness and customizability. Portion size is always negotiable, further lending to their appeal. The texture given to this crisp by tasty Golden Grahams Cereal makes it especially enjoyable. Gild the lily if you like with ice cream or powdered sugar (or both), or just enjoy the crisp as a warm reminder that cereal is not just for breakfast anymore.

Golden Grahams Apple Crisp
by Louise Chiffonade Brescia

Crust:
1 cup walnuts
3 Tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
1 cup Golden Grahams Cereal

Filling:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
12 small apples such as Granny Smith or Gala, or a mix of the two
1/2 cup Craisins
1 pinch Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons brandy (or apple juice or cider for non-alcoholic version)

Topping:
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups Golden Grahams Cereal
3 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 Tablespoons ice cold unsalted butter cut into small dice

Have ready:
 A 9.5” glass pie plate

To prepare crust:
To the bowl of a food processor, add walnuts and butter. Pulse until walnuts are roughly chopped. Add Golden Grahams Cereal and pulse until cereal is well chopped. Spray pie plate with vegetable spray. Press crust ingredients into pie plate and set aside.

To prepare filling:
In a sauté pan large enough to hold all filling ingredients, melt butter over low heat. Peel and core apples, cut into wedges, then cut each wedge into 3 chunks; working quickly to prevent browning. Add apple chunks and Craisins to melted butter. Add salt, cinnamon and brown sugar, stirring well. Cook and stir until apples have softened but still hold their shape, about 8-10 minutes. Pour in brandy, stir, remove filling from heat.

To prepare topping:
Toss together in a bowl the nuts, cereal, melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Reserve cold unsalted butter dice for final assembly.

Final Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spoon cooked filling on top of crust mixture in pie plate. Place generous handfuls of topping onto apple mixture. Dot topping with cold butter dice. Place pie plate on a sheet pan to catch drips. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until topping is browned.

Serve with ice cream or powdered sugar if desired.