Fall is the most wonderful time of the year in New England. And by fall, I mean this brief 10-day window where the temperatures have dipped into the high 50s, the sun is shining and the pumpkin spice lattes warm the soul. In two weeks it will probably be snowing and we’ll all be complaining about the weather and how early it gets dark outside until late April. But while the weather is nice, I figure it’s time to embrace my most basic instincts and feed my craving for all things apple. This mini skillet is the perfect way to indulge without needing to switch to full stretch pants just yet. The topping to fruit ratio is on point, and I’m pretty sure this qualifies as your “apple a day keeps the doctor away” daily fruit serving, which basically makes this a healthy recipe. Right?

I had big plans to go full blown pumpkin spice and all things apple on the blog last month. But with starting a new job, a lot of weekend travel, and not ever being home during the daylight to bake/photograph, I decided to just go with the flow and get back to the blog when I had the time. Which brings us to today. While my new coworkers are always happy to be my cookie taste testers, I want to post some more recipes that are small batch and more in line with what I might bake to enjoy at home. Not that I don’t love a good four dozen batch of cookies from time to time, but my goal for the blog now that I have a little more time at home to focus on it (instead of flying every single week) is to bake things that are either on the healthier side, smaller batches for those of us “party-of-ones”, and of course, there will still be plenty of indulgent cookie recipes to come.

I had a wedding in Connecticut this weekend and was inspired by the fall foliage on the drive to do something with all the apples in my fridge when I got home. I’m a big peach, blueberry and cherry cobbler baker in the summer on the Cape, but nothing tastes as good as hot skillet apple crisp in the fall … preferably topped with a giant melty scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. You can use any type of apple you have on hand, but granny smith or honeycrisp are typically recommended as the best for baking. I went with some gala apples because that’s what I stock my fridge with. 

These mini skillets are one of my favorite things to use when baking smaller portions, because they are naturally the perfect 2-serving portion size for just about anything you’re going to make, and the cast iron skillet always makes the best crispy edges. I used the 6.5″ skillet from Sur La Table for this recipe, but if you’re looking to serve a bigger crowd the 12 inch skillet is also great. I would just use 5 apples and make 2.5 times the topping for a bigger group. Never skimp on the topping!

So if you’ve got some fresh apples, and you’re embracing flannel shirt season, whip up this quick and delicious mini apple crisp skillet. Enjoy!

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Yield: 2 Servings

Mini Apple Crisp Skillet

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

A delicious small batch fall indulgence.

Ingredients

Topping:

• 2 apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Gala) peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 3 tablespoons apple cider
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 6.5" cast iron skillet with butter or non-stick spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the sliced apples with the light brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Pour the apple cider on top and toss until evenly coated. Pour into the prepared skillet and press down evenly.
3. Using the same bowl, combine the melted butter, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, oats and light brown sugar. Sprinkle evenly on top of the apples.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or salted caramel sauce. Enjoy!