In third grade, my class took a trip to an apple farm a little ways out of the city. I remember coming home, ecstatic about the field trip. The acres of orchard, apple trees stretching far off into the horizon. The outdoorsy kids activities, watching the farm kids shoot a bow and arrow, and our final stop at the pie and caramel apple stand. For some reason, that trip stuck in my head, though it has since become a bit blurry. I think I was drawn to the simpler life, and the trees that spanned over the land. Still true to this day; I’ve always been drawn to quieter, more peaceful places in nature.

In the years since, I’ve been to a couple U-Pick farms during the summer, bringing home baskets full of cherries and peaches, but never quite made it back for apple season. This year, my mom and I planned to go to an apple farm, so we could kick off our autumn treats with apples and I could relive some of those childhood memories.

With my camera in hand and a list of recipe ideas tucked away in my head, we got on the road. As we exited the freeway, the roads began to narrow and the October fog thickened, obscuring our view of the surrounding mountains. Patches of wildflowers were scattered along the road as we passed the first farm, and the fog grew heavy over the meandering road.

As we reached the top of the hill, we soon realized that we wouldn’t be able to see much of the grounds or even pick any apples. Most of the trees were surrounded by fallen fruit, the entire landscape shrouded in a layer of mist. We huddled inside to a surprisingly crowded gift shop, and picked up a few apple cider donuts before heading back down the hill to another farm.

Emerging from the fog, we could see the same problem with another farm: all of the trees had lost their fruit. Maybe from a recent storm or strong winds, I’m not sure, but we decided that it was time to find some lunch and see if the clouds would lift. Sadly, after a long day enjoying the misty landscape and reminiscing my third grade field trip, we came home with no apples.

But it’s still apple season! And that treasure trove of ideas was still tucked away, waiting for the opportunity to make something with apples. Some homemade chunky apple pear sauce and more than one Spiced Apple Hazelnut Crumble, were just a few of the delicious apple treats made this month.

Crumbles are one of the first thing I remember making with my mom. Usually after dinner, we would gather any over ripe or extra fruit, and mix in some sugar and cinnamon. We sat around the island, putting together some butter, flour, and sugar by hand for a makeshift crumbly topping. Over the years we added oats for a tender, crisp topping, and other spices like nutmeg and clove.

I think the simplicity and improvised nature of crumbles give them their kind of homemade charm. Hard to mess up, usually thrown together, and done by hand. They all come out a little different, and that’s what I love about them. I usually don’t plan to make them, yet crumbles always seem to remind of how good a simple dessert can be. And usually by morning the entire thing is gone. Another telling sign.

I added in some hazelnuts to bring in a bit of warmth and earthiness to the topping, just experimenting with the resources I had and flavors I love. Other nuts such as pecans and walnuts are also a great pairing for apples.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy your cozy rustic dessert ♡

Spiced Apple Hazelnut Crumble

Ingredients

For the Spiced Apples

• 5 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into wedges

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1/3 cup white sugar*

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)

For the Topping

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened and cubed

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

• pinch of salt

*If you are using a particularly sweet or tart variety of apple, adjust sugar to your liking

method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF

   In a 9x9 baking dish, or baking dish of similar size, combine the apple slices, lemon juice, sugar, spices, and cornstarch(opt). Gently mixed until the sugar and spice mixture coats all of the apples. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, add the softened butter, flour, brown sugar, salt, and oats to a large bowl. Using your hands, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms a large, crumbly texture. Then, mix in the roasted hazelnuts so they are loosely incorporated.

3. Evenly distribute the crumbly topping over the spiced apples, and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the apples are cooked through, and the crumbly topping is golden brown

   Let cool for 10-15 minutes, and enjoy!