There are countless ways you can bake up a bundle of apples—slumps, crisps, and cobblers—but there’s one baked apple dessert that gets lost to time: Apple Brown Betty. Here, this 19th-century recipe stays true to its origins, using sweetened breadcrumbs as a filler and binder to thicken this fruity dessert.
Printed records of Brown Betty desserts appeared in the 1860s, but their popularity has taken a back seat to the ever-popular crisp. Brown Betties, made with pears, apples, or berries, is a dish that, from a distance, looks quite like a crisp; yet on closer inspection, its breadcrumb filling is what sets it apart. Here, apples are prepped in one bowl, the breadcrumb filling in one bowl, and the crumble layer in a third.
The apples are layered with the sweetened and spiced breadcrumb mixture and then topped with the crumble. It bakes in the oven until the apples are softened and the crumble on top is golden.
To drive this Apple Brown Betty further into the dessert category, a quick icing is whipped up and poured over the semi-cooled top.
Sliced and served, this Apple Brown Betty is a perfect bite of baked apple goodness.
Breadcrumbs act as the perfect sponge, absorbing the apple’s juices and binding it for a more uniform fruity bite.
The crumble and glaze on top had a balanced level of sweetness that makes this dessert oh-so-satisfying.
Apple Brown Betty
For the Apple Brown Betty:
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 4 large apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Glaze:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375° and spray a 9x9 baking dish with baking spray, set aside.
- In a bowl whisk together breadcrumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Transfer half of the apple to the prepared baking dish. Cover with half of the breadcrumb-sugar mixture. Layer with remaining apples and breadcrumb mixture.
- In another bowl whisk together flour and sugar. Cut in butter until it resembles a coarse crumble. Layer crumble on top of the apples and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
- Let the Apple Brown Betty cool for 1 hour. After the Brown Betty has cooled, make the glaze.
- Whisk melted butter with powdered sugar and vanilla. Drizzle on top of the Apple Brown Betty, serve, and enjoy.
Recipe adapted from Samantha Cookbook/Archive.org.