Today, I have embraced the fact that now my brain is a mush and have decided to make a super simple dessert for my soul. Some people believe that baking is pure science, to the point that they either follow recipes to a T…or never attempt to even make a boxed cake. Oh, I understand that some recipes are meant to be followed and I do try to be precise when making things that are on the more complicated side, but tonight I have decided to rely heavily on the side of baking that involves spontaneity and basically throwing what sounds good into a dish to bake. Plus, this is generally healthy! Now, because this is something that I make when I don’t want to be stressed by recipes, the measurements I use to describe the process are…unique.
1/2 large red apple – cut up into little cubes
Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon, a few drops of vanilla extract, a few drops of lemon juice, and 1/2 packet of Splenda (yes, packet…because who doesn’t nab a few packets from Starbucks on their way out the door? I’m a poor college student, don’t judge!); mix in a few Craisins (less than 1/8 cup…so not worth measuring)
~Put into a small ramekin that you’ve quickly sprayed with cooking spray and then put into a 350 degree oven to bake for 20 min…while it’s in the oven, make the topping (and do your dishes, and straighten the apartment, and root for your favorite contestant on the Biggest Loser)
Topping:
1-2 tbs oats
1 tsp brown sugar
a few toasted pecans, chopped
bit of cinnamon
the other half of the Splenda packet
~When the first twenty min. are up, take out of the oven and drizzle with a tad of honey, then top with your topping, a tiny drizzle more of honey, and then a spray of cooking spray (trust me, use cooking spray for everything). Then put back in the oven for 10-15 min until topping is brown! (while it’s in the oven the second time, eat a few too many toasted pecans, sigh with relief that your favorite contestant didn’t get voted off, blog…)
It’s not buttery and bad for you like the typical crisp but it celebrates the natural flavors of the apple and is super simple (Holy crud my brain really must be mush! I just talked about celebrating an apple!). I bet it’d even be good with a bit of dark chocolate baked into it too. Of, course it would be super good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but that would involve me going to the store and picking out ice cream…and you’ve read a post of mine on how complicated that is…which would make it a no-longer simple dessert! So just enjoy as is!
