Pick some apples and bake up a crisp

Apples are available year-round, but they never seem more mouthwatering than at apple-picking time. Fresh from the tree, apples are appealing as a crisp fruit to bite into – but also as an ingredient as we go back to the kitchen and to baking.

Here’s a recipe for an easy apple dessert, a variation of a familiar idea that first appeals with its gentle aroma of spices. Then there’s the topping, a crunchy layer combining oats, dried fruit and nuts, and underneath, juicy apples, full of flavor.

The Cameo apples called for are a relatively new all-American variety, thin-skinned, orange-yellow streaked with red in color. They’re sweet-tart and crisp to eat raw, and hold their shape and texture well when cooked.

Cameo Apple Crisp

Recipe developed for the Associated Press by Cameo Apple Marketing Association

For the filling:

8 cups Cameo apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

For the topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cup) chilled unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling: Place ingredients in large bowl; toss to combine.

To make the topping: Mix flour, oats, sugars, pecans, cranberries, salt and cinnamon in large bowl. Cut in butter (using pastry cutter or two knives) until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Spread apple mixture into 9-by-13-inch baking dish; cover apples evenly with topping. Bake 40 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

Yield: 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 414 calories, 21 grams fat (10 grams saturated, 45 percent fat calories), 4 grams protein, 55 grams carbohydrate, 41 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 32 milligrams sodium.