Perfect for Fall: Apple Crisp Recipe from Kyra Bussanich

Ok, I am seriously in love with the weather right now. It is days like this that make me so happy being an Oregonian. The remaining leaves are beautiful reds, yellows and oranges, bright blue sky and a perfect crisp temperature. This is fall at its best.

Also wonderful about fall? So many good things to eat and bake. Obviously I’m obsessed with anything pumpkin. I also totally love all the fresh-picked apples and pears, which are perfect for pies, crumbles and crisps.

Lucky for you, Kyra Bussanich, who owns Kyra’s Bake Shop in Lake Oswego, has provided her delicious Apple Crisp recipe. I wrote a few weeks ago about a cooking class I took from her.

Truly, you would never guess her desserts are gluten-free. As Kyra says ““My recipes are not good ‘for being gluten-free;’ they’re just good, and that’s why people who eat gluten visit my bakery and order gluten-free desserts.”

So give this recipe a try and check out Kyra’s new cookbook, Sweet Cravings.

Kyra’s Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

6 large tart apples (Pippin or Granny Smith)
1/3 cup sugar, or 1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Generous pinch salt
3 tablespoons cold butter

Topping:

1/2 cup sweet white rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/4-inch slices, put into a large bowl and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Add the tapioca starch, cinnamon, five-spice, ginger and salt, and toss together to evenly coat the apple slices. Pour into a 9×13-inch baking pan, dot the top with pieces of the butter and set aside.

3) To make the topping, combine the flours, tapioca starch, brown sugar, cinnamon salt, five-spice and ginger in a mixing bowl. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix in the butter until it is uniformly incorporated into the flour mixture. Stir in the oats and pecans.

4) Crumble the oat topping evenly over the apples. Bake until the topping is golden brown and set and the apples are warm and bubbly, 55 to 60 minutes.

You can prepare everything ahead of time. Refrigerate the apple filling and keep the topping frozen until ready to assemble and bake. Don’t refrigerate the unbaked topping overnight since the millet flour will interact with the butter and taste and smell cheesy when it’s baked.