Ingredients:
6 medium apples (about 6 cups), peeled, cored, and sliced
¾ cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flourGround cinnamon for sprinkling (optional)Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread
Instructions
Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 375°F. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. No need to grease the baking dish.Prepare the apples. Peel, core, and slice the apples into even, ¼-inch thick slices. Try to keep the slices uniform so they bake evenly. Place the sliced apples directly into an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish (about 8×8 inches or 9×9 inches). Spread them into an even layer with your hands or a spatula.Make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, and flour. Stir with a fork to break up any lumps. Add the Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread (or the substitute mixture). Mash and mix with the fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps and no dry flour remains visible. Do not overmix, or the topping will become pasty.Assemble the crisp. Sprinkle the oat mixture evenly over the sliced apples in the baking dish. Use your fingers to scatter it so all apples are lightly covered but still have some gaps for the juices to bubble through. Do not stir. If desired, dust a light layer of ground cinnamon over the topping for extra spice.Bake. Place the dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife or skewer and the topping is deep golden brown and crisp to the touch. Rotate the dish once halfway through baking (at about the 15-minute mark) for even browning.Serve warm. Let the crisp cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before serving—this allows the juices to thicken slightly. Dollop with whipped cream and sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon, if desired. Serve with vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.