Apple Crisp with Brown Butter Topping

I absolutely LOVE apple crisp. For years, I have always made crisp with margarine or butter straight from the store, I never knew about the concept of "brown butter" until I tried out "Sally's Baking Addiction's Brown Butter Blueberry Peach Crisp." And, my, oh my, does brown butter make a difference! Brown butter is basically a caramelized butter with a nutty flavor. Curious? A Beautiful Plate does a great job of explaining the differences between butter, brown butter, and Indian ghee. Or, you could just try out my recipe below. ;)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter
3/4 cup brown sugar,
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup chopped almonds (optional)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 to 5 medium Golden Delicious apples, sliced and peeled into thin pieces
2 tablespoons white sugar

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. Slice and peel apples. Place in a 8x8 square plan (I prefer glass) and mix with 2 tablespoons of white sugar. Set aside.

2. Make brown butter (Credit to Sally's Baking Addiction): Break butter into pieces and place into a light colored pot or skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat and stir occasionally. Butter will begin to foam (this is normal). Keep occasionally stirring and stay near the stove at all times. After 5 or so minutes, the butter will begin to appear golden. Keep occasionally mixing. The butter will be "brown butter" after a couple of more minutes when the butter transforms into a toasty brown and you will see little specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. The butter will smell nutty. WATCH THE BUTTER CAREFULLY as the butter can quickly go from brown to burnt!!!
***Note: You can always skip this step and just use normal melted butter. The crisp will still be tasty. ;)

3. Mix together the dry ingredients (brown sugar, flour, oats, optional chopped almonds, and cinnamon) in a separate bowl. Stir in the brown butter into the dry ingredients until well mixed.

4. Sprinkle the topping over the apples.

5. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. The topping should be a golden brown color.

6. Enjoy warm (I love it with vanilla ice cream!).

#halahbakes