You may have seen my apple butter recipe, now welcome to another desperate attempt to use up all the apples that have taken up residence in my kitchen.

“Rooooooooss!!!,” I bellowed.
“What?!,” he crankily replied.
“You want apple crisp tonight? I need to use up some apples, plus I need some fodder for the blog.”
“Ok…”

I’m sure he would much rather be eating some chocolatey confection, but my lovely little crisp did go over well. I sized down a standard recipe to serve two (that is how many people live in my apartment after all, unless you include Franklin). To mix it up, I sprinkled in a little garam masala (an Indian spice blend typically consisting of black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cardamom, etc.). It adds a nice warm background flavor that really complements the apples. But… If you don’t have any on hand, toss in any spices you like.

It might not please Jacques Torres, but I find it to be a comforting desert that tastes like Thanksgiving, but with a week night’s effort.

Apple Crisp for Two spiced with Garam Masala

Ingredients

2 apples (peeled, cored and cut into 1/4″ wedges)
3 tbsp. whole wheat flour
3 tbsp. oatmeal
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. Earth Balance (or butter or other butter substitute)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (divided in 2)
Dashes of nutmeg, garam masala and salt

1.) Preheat the oven to 350*
2.) Toss the apples with 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon. Place in a small oven safe dish.
3.) In another bowl, combine the flour, oats, spices and brown sugar. Mix in the butter and maple syrup (I used my fingers) until well combined and crumbly.
4.) Top the apples with the crumb mixture.
5.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is brown and the apples are soft.