Apple Pear Crisp and Pocket Pies!

A warm and bubbly crisp pulled out of the oven is one of those classic comfort desserts that is hard to resist! A great alternative to a homemade apple pie, a crisp is something that can be whipped up in a moments time and before you know it the aroma of fresh baked fruit and cinnamon is enticing your senses!

I decided to use a combination of apples and pears, but feel free to use any kind of stone fruit or even berries. Here's the recipe:

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup of toasted sliced almonds
1/4 cup of diced crystallized ginger

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 pound mixture of apples and pears (6 to 7 large), peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 6 cups)

For the Topping:

Whisk first 4 dry ingredients in medium bowl. Add butter. Working quickly so butter does not soften, rub with fingertips until moist clumps form. Stir in oats, almonds, and ginger. Chill while preparing filling.

For the Filling:
Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk first 4 dry ingredients in large bowl. Add apples and pears and toss, now transfer your fruit mixture to a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the topping over pear and apple mixture.
Bake until topping is crisp and golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 50 minutes. Serve warm as is or along side a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some fresh whipped cream! Enjoy!

I picked up these cute little pocket pie molds from Williams Sonoma not to long ago with the intention of doing this with my granddaughter. This past Sunday we made pocket pies together.

Just your basic apple pie filling, apples, cinnamon, butter and a little flour to thicken it all, we even used refrigerated pie dough, nothing fancy it was just fun doing it together. You could be really creative with all different kinds of fillings and maybe even making some savory ones.

We used the apple and pumpkin shapes but they also have heart and star molds too. Wouldn't these be cute as gifts wrapped in cellophane bags and tied with raffia? ( I'm getting so crafty!)

Buon Appetito!