Celebrating Fall with Apple-Cherry Crisp

Tex here, and yes, fall has finally arrived in North Texas. That means high temps have fallen below 90 and it's time to bake again. And let's face it, fall and apples go hand-in-hand, so what better way to welcome fall than by putting a twist on a fall favorite, apple crisp.

I love fruit desserts, though they seem to vary from season to season. Summers I think of cobbler, winter is usually pies, but I always associate crisps with autumn. And because there's no crust to worry about, they're so easy.

So here's what you'll need for the filling:

2 1/2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes (I used Honeycrisp, but Rome is another good variety. Something with a bit of tart)

1 1/2 cups pitted cherries (frozen works best, but you can also use canned)

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

For the topping:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans (or nut of your choice)

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Okay, let's start with our filling. Mix together the apples and cherries.

Now add the dark brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.

And stir to combine.

Look at those glorious fall colors.

Pour into greased baking dish.

Now for the topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans, oats, cinnamon and salt.

Add melted butter

And stir until clumps form.

If you're like me, this is where restraint comes in. I could eat this mixture by itself. But then there would be no crisp to my apple crisp.

So go ahead and sprinkle the clumps over the apple/cherry mixture.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Yes, the heathens got to it before I could take a pic.

But then it's oh-so-good while it's piping hot, especially with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Now that's what I'm talking about. I love the crunch of the topping with the tenderness of the fruit.

Mmm...

Can it just stay fall forever?

Now it's your turn. What's your favorite fall dessert?

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and kids. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com.