Apple Berry Crisp

Apple Berry Crisp 

Not the best pic, but you can see the crumble size here.

Only a few berries turn the whole thing magenta in the end.

It's been a long, looooong week. Being a working mom who tries to be both an awesome teacher and an awesome mom is exhausting, and I often wonder how close or far from awesome I really am. Today was one of those days where I was just too tired to care. I was looking forward to spending an evening at home with my kids (unfortunately, the husband is a VP at a high school, and it's a Friday night in the middle of football season...), and this evening included baking something and then eating it with ice cream.
I pondered making a pie, but the crust would have been too time-consuming, so I settled on a crisp. Apples are what I had, but I wanted to jazz it up with something, so I added the berries. I made the recipe up on my own based on some of my Dutch apple pie experience, and I have to say, my friend who came to dinner and I really, really liked it. I'm looking forward to having some more for breakfast tomorrow. And yes, I will be eating it with ice cream in the morning. 

Apple Berry Crisp

Ingredients:

Topping:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I used quick cooking)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into smallish chunks

Fruit Layer:

• 3 medium Granny Smith apples
• 1/2 cup frozen triple berry mix (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 7x10 inch baking dish. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and baking powder. Add the butter chunks and with your fingers incorporate the butter into the dry mixture until you form uneven crumbs, but butter is thoroughly mixed in. Place crumb mix in the refrigerator until the fruit layer is ready.
Peel, core, quarter, and slice the apples into 1/8 inch slices. Place in a large bowl. Add the berries, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix thoroughly with a spoon, and then pour fruit into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over the fruit and give it a little shake to even it out.
Place baking dish on a foil-lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, or until juices are bubbly and begin to thicken a bit.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about an hour before serving with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Cover and refrigerate leftovers (I think you need to refrigerate it. I kind of just made that up to keep you safe.)
Makes about 8 servings.

It was so late in the evening by the time we ate this,
that the natural light was gone, and I was left with less
than perfect lighting. Still tasted great, though.