This recipe was created by Liz Williams, Pastry Supervisor at Blackberry Farm. She gives the classic apple crisp a creative makeover: The topping is transformed into oatmeal cookies that are served on top of the apple filling in individual bowls. A scoop of buttermilk ice cream adds the perfect finishing touch.
To get a head start on this recipe, you can make the apple filling a day in advance; let cool, then cover and refrigerate. The cookies can be baked the day before and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The ice cream can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the freezer.
Deconstructed Apple Crisp with Buttermilk Ice Cream
For the apple filling:
1 cup (250 ml) water
2 Tbs. dark rum
Wide strips of zest from 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup (185 g) golden raisins
1/2 cup (90 g) currants
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 cups (750 g) peeled, cored and chopped Granny Smith apples (about 6 apples)
1/2 cup (105 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. sea salt
For the oatmeal cookies:
3 cups (280 g) rolled oats
1 1/2 cups (235 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
20 Tbs. (2 1/2 sticks/315 g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (185 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (105 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Whole pecan halves for garnish (optional)
For the buttermilk ice cream:
2 cups (500 ml) half-and-half
1/2 cup (160 ml) corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup (155 g) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
To make the apple filling, in a saucepan, combine the water, rum, lemon zest strips, juice of 1/2 lemon, raisins and currants. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the pan and add the pod. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Drain the fruit, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard the lemon zest and vanilla bean pod.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the apples, brown sugar, the rehydrated fruit, 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the reserved cooking liquid, grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, nutmeg and sea salt. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, then uncover and simmer until the apples are tender, about 5 minutes more. Serve the filling warm or at room temperature.
To make the cookies, position 1 rack in the upper third and 1 rack in the lower third of an oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, using a fork, stir together the oats, flour, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and brown sugars on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes, stopping the mixer to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, add the oat mixture and beat until incorporated.
Scoop 2 Tbs. dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, staggering the cookies 8 to a sheet. Flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand, then press 4 pecans in a row on top of each cookie. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 13 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from front to back and 180 degrees halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the racks and let cool completely. Repeat to bake the remaining dough. The recipe makes 32 cookies, so you’ll have some left over for later enjoyment.
To make the ice cream, in a saucepan, combine the half-and-half and corn syrup. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the pan and add the pod. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick. Slowly add the hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly until fully incorporated. Pour the mixture back into the pan, set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 9 to 10 minutes; do not allow it to boil. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl. Nestle the bowl in a larger one filled halfway with ice water and cool the custard to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled.
Whisk the buttermilk into the cold custard. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
To assemble, divide the apple filling among 8 individual bowls and top each with a scoop of ice cream. Place a cookie, whole or crumbled, on top. Serve immediately. Serves 8.
7 comments
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The filling sounds really good. I’d like to make it for a pie though. Can I just skip the apple cooking part, and mix the cooked currants and raisins in with the apples and then put that all in a pie shell to bake? Do you think I’d need to bake the shell first? I see some recipes where the shell is baked prior to adding the filling ingredients, and others where it’s baked right along with the filling. I wonder why that is. Any help you could offer in converting this to a traditional pie would be much appreciated.
Hi Savannagal, we haven’t tested this filling with a pie, but it should work. As you mentioned, we would recommend mixing the chopped apples, rehydrated fruit, and other ingredients without cooking (omit the wide strips of lemon zest completely, or substitute with a small amount of grated zest). You should also leave out the water listed under the filling ingredients.
It should not be necessary to pre-bake the shell — usually a recipe only calls for doing that if the filling will take less time to cook than the crust.
A couple of other notes: you may need to tweak the quantities here, as you may end up with more or less filling than you need for a single pie. Also, you might consider adding a thickener to the filling, such as cornstarch, so that it’s not too runny.
Please let us know how it goes, and good luck!
Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it. I will let you know how it turns out.
I love those bowls! Where can I find them?
Hi wendy, here are similar bowls: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/farmhouse-double-handle-bowl/