A twist on Apple crisp

One of my favorite recipes, is my grandmother's apple crisp! It is to die for....especially in the fall when we've just come back from our annual apple picking venture where all of my daughters have picked every single apple off of every single tree. I also love how it has an oatmeal topping....especially because I can rationalize why it's okay to eat it for breakfast. Although I love this version, it's nice to try variety. My mother-in-law came up with her own version when her original recipe called for fresh cranberries and they were not in season at the time. She substituted cranberries with blueberries and came up with Blueberry-Pear Crisp.....it was delicious!!! I just had to make it again myself....and share it with the world.

Ingredients
~3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries or blueberries
~3 lrg pears, peeled, cored & sliced into 3/4" pieces
~1/4 cup sugar
~1 tsp cinnamon
~7 tbsp flour
~ 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
~1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp rolled oats
~1/2 tsp kosher salt
~3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
~6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
                                               

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees. Grease shallow 9" baking dish.
2. In large bowl, combine fruit, granulated sugar, cinnamon & 1 tbsp flour. Transfer to baking dish.

3. In medium bowl combine 6 tbsp flour, brown sugar, oats (I used Irish steel oats), salt & walnuts. Stir in melted butter and mix well. Sprinkle over fruit.

4. Bake for 40 min until lightly browned & crisp!

How yummy does that look??!!! Serve warm with some vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream....or, if you're anything like me, a nice cup of hot coffee. I made a "pot" of cinnamon mocha coffee to go along with it. Perfect for an after dinner treat or a nice brunch.
Coffe Recipe: Combine 1/2 cup gr. dark roast coffee, 1 tbsp cinnamon, &1/4 tsp nutmeg. pour into coffee filter. brew pot. In lrg saucepan, combine 5 cups milk, 1/3 cup chocolate syrup, and 1/4 cup brown sugar o/ low heat until sugar is dissolved. stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and brewed coffee. Ladle into mugs. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon if desired. Makes 6 cups. *Coffee recipe courtesy of Tasteofhome.com*

Respect the traditions passed on to you by your most loved ones.....yet don't be afraid to start new traditions using the recipes passed along to you by your new family as well. Enjoy!!

                           Kirsten