As my Gorgeous Man and I prepared to leave the party, one man ran up to us, grabbed my hand, knelt before me then fervently declared that he was “in love” with me “after eating the best Apple Crisp of my life!”

1.  In a large mixing bowl; combine the almond flour, oat flour, tapioca flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda. 

2.  Mix in the butter until “mealy.” Add the chopped walnuts. Set aside and chill in the refrigerator while you are peeling and slicing the apples. 

1.  Mix the sugar, 1 tablespoon tapioca, cinnamon and nutmeg together. in a BIG BOWL.   

2.  Peel and slice the apples, add to the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Stir until well coated.  

3.  Pour water evenly over all; stir again to mix.   

4.  Evenly spread the sliced apples (and all the yummy juice) in a greased 9 x13 inch pan.   Sprinkle the  reserved topping evenly over the apples.  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 40-45 minutes.  Check at 38 minutes; it should be a lovely golden brown and smell heavenly.

 

• Ice Cream ~  Vanilla, Rum Raisin or Dulce de Leche are good choices.  A dairy free frozen dessert is a great option if you cannot have dairy; I like vanilla flavored coconut ice cream.
• Whipped Cream (and ice cream, too… ohhh, so good!)
• Sweetened Whipped Cream and a dollop of Greek Yogurt or sour cream mixed together; then poured out of a little pitcher at serving time.  And then there’s… my “secret recipe” ~ a TOP FAVE ~ scroll all the way down.
• Of course a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee or tea is most welcome!  Serve the Apple Crisp slightly warmed ~ Oh my!

 

• Granny Smith Apple.  Granny Smith Apples are deliciously tart, and they hold their shape well in baking.  I always buy organic apples since apples are one of the crops that use a large amount of pesticides.  I found my organic Granny Smith Apples at our local Costco store.

If you cannot get Granny Smith Apples here are some other apples to consider:

• Cortland, Empire and sometimes a crisp Braeburn Apple works also.  Just be sure that the apples are crisp and firm, not soft, because too much sugar will have developed in the apples and your Apple Crisp won’t have the texture and flavor that you desire.  You can use a combination of tart apples, if you wish.
• There are many other tart apple varieties available; some of which may be unique to your area.  Speak to the produce manager at your local grocery store and they will direct you to the perfect apple.  
• Warning:  Do not use a sweet eating apple; such as a Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji or a Golden Delicious Apple.  These varieties are too soft and sweet for this particular recipe ~ they will not give you the flavor or optimal texture (they turn mushy) that you are after. 

• The addition of the baking soda and baking powder help make it exceptionally crunchy.  
• Now, I did make my topping with real butter ~ the butter gives it such a great flavor.  If you can use butter, I recommend it.

•  NOTE:  The recipe listed below WILL NOT BE LISTED ANYWHERE else in my blog; not even in the Recipe Index! 

When I make my World’s Best Apple Crisp or Best Berry Crisp, Apricot Peach Crisp or Cherry Pie Crisp; I quite often serve this “secret recipe” with the crisp and people go NUTS over this combination.  Bonkers, in fact! They start saying things like, “This is the best thing I’ve ever had in my life!”  (I never know what to say when people say that…)

Now, I actually had previously posted this recipe, but decided to delete it.  It has been deleted for almost a year… Why did I delete it?  Oh… you’ll see, as you read about it… but I’ve had so many requests for this; I decided to print it again. HOWEVER, this time I’m HIDING THE RECIPE within this post.  Why?  Read on…

1. Combine pudding mix, milk of your choice and vanilla.  Whisk together until smooth for two minutes.  Let set 5 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, in a chilled mixing-bowl beat together the cream and powdered sugar until it looks like light, creamy, fluffy clouds.  Slowly add the Gentleman Jack Tennessee Whiskey to the whipped cream and continue beating until combined.  
3. Fold the whiskey flavored whipped cream into the pudding.  Serve chilled; enjoy!

• Spoon into beautiful goblets. Top with fruit such as: Fresh blueberries, raspberries, peaches, bananas or strawberries.
• And of course you already know that Gentleman Jack Custard tastes fabulous when paired with the World’s Best Apple Crisp, Best Berry Crisp, Cherry Pie Crisp or Apricot Peach Crisp.  I have found that men, in particular, find this combination irresistible.

• Kraft JELL-O instant pudding mix is currently gluten free.  If you use refrigerated coconut milk for your milk you will get a lovely rich-tasting pudding, but it will be thinner than one prepared with whole milk. 
• Some folks can actually enjoy real whipped cream even though they cannot normally have milk products.  This is fascinating!
• If you cannot tolerate dairy products at all, try folding in dairy-free whipped topping.  It will not have the same rich texture or taste but it will still be a lovely treat.
• Most heavy (whipping) cream is ultra-pasteurized now (sigh).  This  process makes it very difficult to get light, fluffy whipped cream, plus the cream seems to take forever to whip.  Look for organic cream that is not ultra-pasteurized.  (Available at Natural Food Grocery Stores)  If organic cream is not available in your area, then make sure your cream has the highest amount of butterfat possible.  The cream I use in this recipe has 38-40% butterfat.  Remember ~ this is a rare, luscious treat.  Our local Costco currently carries a 40% butterfat, heavy cream.  It is ultra-pasteurized but I find that it does whip up nicely.