Apple Crisp baked in a Dutch Oven

My sister Sarah is in this thing called a venture crew, it’s kind of like boy scouts for both girls and boys. They do all kind of outdoorsy things like hike and camp, and they also have dutch oven cook offs. Awesome, right? My sister is participating in one for this first time this weekend, and she enlisted my help to find her a winning recipe. She’s feeling particularly competitive because she’s up against the boy scouts, one of them being our brother. Total sibling rivalry. Fun!



Of course I said I’d help her, you know, girl power and all that. The only problem was, I had never actually worked with a dutch oven, outside, with coals doing all the heating. Thankfully, our dad has done it quite a bit and he helped me convert a regular recipe into a dutch oven one.



When I was thinking about what would be best to bake in a dutch oven, the first thing that popped into my head was apple crisp. It’s rustic, easy, and totally delicious. Sarah loves apple crisp, so she loved the idea.



This recipe is one I’ve used many times. It’s about as simple as they come. It’s perfect for a dutch oven cook off, or a fall afternoon. I’ve included directions in the recipe for both dutch ovens and regular ovens so you can make it even if you feel like staying inside. ;) I’ll let y’all know if she wins this weekend! Good luck, Sarah!



Apple Crisp
Adpated from Rustic Fruit Desserts

Topping:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 stick butter, melted

Filling:
8 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced into to thin slices
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons apple pie spice

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
Make the topping; mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the butter, then press topping together in your hands to form small clumps. Set aside.

Make the filling; toss the apples, sugar and apple pie spice together in a large bowl. Transfer the filling to the baking dish. Press the topping evenly over the fruit, then bake for 55-60 minutes, until top is golden brown and the corners are bubbling.

For dutch oven cooking, spread filling into the bottom of a 12 inch dutch oven, press topping evenly over the fruit. Place 12 hot coals below the oven and 10 on top. Cook for 45 minutes, turning every 7 minutes or so.


PS, thank you all so much for your kind comments on my last post. They were all so sweet! You guys are awesome.