It is that time again – just when the holiday blues start wearing off, when you see those brightly colored boxes of delicious cookies.  Yes, it is Girl Scout Cookie time!  And like last year, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington are having another recipe contest.  Since I came in 2nd place last year, I figured I had to try again. And again, like last year – if I can win some money out of this contest, I would like to do something really special – I would like to donate the money to a charity – and I am going to ask you – my readers – to choose the charity.  That’s right – so stayed tuned for more on that – no sense in giving more details if I am not a finalist.

Unlike last year, where the sky was the limit when it came to making up a recipe – I really had to control myself this year.  After all, I am still on this simplicity kick – and not only that, I wanted to make something a little healthier.  I thought about fruit, and what I could do with Girl Scout Cookies and fruit, and then I remembered where I live – in Washington State…so how could I not make something with Washington Apples??  It is extremely important to support your local economy – especially in the midst of a contest.  So – there it was, staring me in the face – an apple crisp, and what could be better than making a topping using the tried and true Trefoils Shortbread Cookie.

I was pretty impressed with how good this came out.  I made it in a skillet and then put that skillet in the oven – how’s that for simplicity?  The crisp was delicious, especially the topping – but combined with those caramelized apples, boy was it a treat – and the best part of all, I let my kids have seconds.  I actually felt good about serving it for dessert.

Just a few reminders – Girl Scout Cookies are on sale from March 1-17! There is an awesome cookie locator, as well as an app, that tells you exactly where girls are selling cookies in your neighborhood! They won’t be updated until closer to the sale, but are very good to keep handy.  Then you too can buy some cookies and make this awesome and simple crisp, that supports our local farms!

Ingredients

Topping

• 1 1/2 sleeves of Trefoils Girl Scout Cookies
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled outs
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 3 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, halved, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preparation

Make the topping:  Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Put the Girl Scout cookies in a food processor and crush until fine.  Combine the cookies, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir in butter until mixture is thoroughly moistened and crumbly.  Set aside while preparing the fruit filling.

Make the filling:  Toss the apples, granulated sugar, and cinnamon (if using) together in a large bowl;  set aside.  Bring cider to a simmer in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes.  Transfer reduced cider to a bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir in lemon juice and set aside.

Heat butter in a now empty skillet over medium heat.  When foaming subsides, add apple mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until apples begin to soften and become translucent, 12 to 14 minutes.  (Do not fully cook apples.)  Remove pan from heat and gently stir in cider mixture until apples are coated.

Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks.  Place skillet on baking sheet and bake until fruit is tender and topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes, and serve.

Serve the apple crisp warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream – or just by itself.

Serves 6-8

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Apple Trefoils Crisp