I have come to a conclusion.
My love for fruit runs deep—so much so that vegetables rarely compete for my affection. Fruit always wins, and maybe a little of that is due to the sugar. Just maybe.
There isn’t a fruit I don’t enjoy, but fall fruits hold a special place in my heart. Apples were the foundation of my earliest snacks: sliced with peanut butter or simply dusted with cinnamon. I remember eating apples for breakfast before school most days. Those memories are pure comfort.
Picking a single favorite fruit is hard. Strawberries and blueberries often top my list when they’re ripe and perfect, but they’re seasonal. Mangos and peaches are tempting, though I usually end up turning them into salsas. And bananas—always a staple. Yet apples are consistently reliable. You can often judge an apple’s ripeness from the outside, while avocados or stone fruit can be unpredictable.
Apples are available year-round in at least a few great varieties, many of which come in organic options. I’d love honeycrisps all year long, but their brevity is part of what makes them special. Apples are easy, portable, versatile and filling—one apple goes much further than a handful of berries.
Okay. I’ve rambled a bit, but the point is simple: apples for the win.
For this crisp, I tossed apple chunks with a generous splash of amaretto and brown sugar before baking. The boozy sweetness elevates the fruit beautifully. I finished it with my favorite oat-based crumble and a generous cup of toasted, honey-roasted almonds for crunch. Those almonds are dangerously good—sometimes I snack on them with apple slices in the morning.
This is one of the few ways I choose fruit for dessert: a warm apple crisp with a little extra personality. Crisps and crumbles are great served hot with vanilla ice cream, and they reheat well for an indulgent breakfast the next day.
Amaretto Apple Crisp with Toasted Almonds
4
1 hr
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Ingredients
- 6 medium apples, cored and chopped
- 1/3 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup amaretto liqueur
Crumble
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the chopped apples in a 9×13 baking dish or a large skillet. Toss with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Pour the amaretto over the apples and toss to coat.
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In a bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, toasted almonds, flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the vanilla and amaretto, then add the softened butter. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and evenly combined. Sprinkle the crumble over the apples.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
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This is just the beginning of fall recipe season.