📖 Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Gosh, I nearly forgot to grease my dish once and it was a real mess!
2. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Aim for slices that are about 1/4 inch thick. No one likes a big, hard chunk of apple in their crisp!
3. In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Make sure every slice gets a little bit of the spice magic.
4. Toss gently to coat the apples evenly with the sugar and spice mixture. Trust me, even coating is key for flavor distribution.
5. Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly. This layer is the delicious base of our crisp.
6. In a separate mixing bowl, prepare the streusel topping. Whisk together the pastry flour, brown sugar, and rolled oats. I like to use light brown sugar for a hint of molasses.
7. Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Work quickly so the butter doesn't melt too much.
8. Stir in the chopped pecans (if using) into the streusel mixture. Pecans add a delightful crunch and nutty flavor, its not required, but do consider it.
9. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the apple mixture in the baking dish. Try to cover every inch of apple goodness!
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender. The aroma filling your kitchen will be heavenly!
11. If the topping starts to brown too quickly, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking. Nobody wants a burnt topping.
12. Remove the apple crisp from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. This allows the filling to set a bit and prevents burning your tongue.
13. Serve warm, plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Oh my goodness! This is just perfection in a bowl!