Apples and Peanut Butter Crisp

Peanut butter is pretty much its own food group in our household. I love eating it with bananas and apples for breakfast to keep mid-morning hangry-ness (not a typo - hungry + angry) at bay. This recipe is very simple and versatile - I've eaten it for dessert and also mixed it with some plain greek yogurt for breakfast. The chopped peanuts add a nice crunch which is unusual for a crisp. I would definitely serve this with a scoop of some low-fat ice cream. The lack of butter keeps the apples pretty dry, so the ice cream really improves the texture.

Just slice up a mixture of green and red apples and layer in a square baking dish.

Mix in the flour and brown sugar.

Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. The mix up your topping - oats, brown sugar, flour, peanut butter and chopped peanuts. You'll have to work a bit to get the peanut butter incorporated, but it comes together in a few minutes.

Spread the topping over the baked apples, and just slip it in the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

You probably have everything you need to make this simple family-friendly crisp in your pantry now, so go get busy baking.

Apples and Peanut Butter Crisp

From Better Homes and Gardens, The Ultimate Low-Calorie Book

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 6 medium red and / or green apples, cored and thinly sliced (I left the peels on for extra fiber and texture)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place apple slices in a 2-quart square baking dish; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons flour and the 1 tablespoon brown sugar until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over apple slices in dish; toss to coat.

Bake, covered for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the rolled oats, the 2 tablespoons flour, and the 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Using a fork, stir in peanut butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in peanuts. Uncover apple mixture; sprinkle with oat mixture.

Bake, uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes more or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Serve warm with vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Nutrition facts per serving: 174 calories, 6 g total fat, 51 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 4 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates.