Snackles: Is it dessert or breakfast?

It’s fall and that means all the stereotypical autumnal ingredients: apples, pumpkin, turkey, cinnamon, cloves, cranberries...

Of course the New England region probably deserves some credit for this seasonal list of tasty treats, as we do traditionally incorporate them into our local dishes and produce many of them quite well.  So in celebration of the season, my home, and pretending dessert is healthy, here’s what I’ve been cooking lately...

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp (dessert and breakfast in one pot!)

One quart slow cooker

3-5 apples, peeled and chopped (enough to fill the slow cooker pot  3/4ths full)
One cup of old fashioned oats or granola cereal (or a mix)
Heaping teaspoon cinnamon
Tablespoon walnuts (or other nuts, or no nuts)
⅓ cup Light Brown Sugar
3 ½ tablespoons butter, melted

1. Slice and dice the peeled apples into uniformly sized pieces.  Put about half in the slow cooker pot, add some thinly sliced butter and layer the rest of the apples on top.

2. Mix the oats / granola, cinnamon, and walnuts together and spread evenly over the apples.

3. Layer the brown sugar on top evenly.

4. Pour the melted butter all over that goodness.

Cook on high for 30 minutes and low for 60 minutes OR the slow cooker recipe book I have says cook on low for three hours. The 30 minute high and 60 minute low seems to work for me.

Serve with whipped cream, yogurt, or ice cream.

Makes four servings (or two, depending on how you go about it).

I’ve had now made three different versions of this recipe (different apples and different topping mix) and it has always come out beautifully. In a one quart slow cooker, this makes enough for two decent sized dessert servings and two leftover ‘definitely healthy enough for breakfast’ servings. It’s apples, people. Enjoy!