By Kathryn Reed

What to do with the three remaining pippin apples? You can’t just eat these like any ordinary apple. That would be wasteful – plus they are pretty bitter. These are practically gold in the world of baking.

Needing to use them before they went bad (these aren’t quite as hearty as real bullion) I consulted with mom. She suggested a crisp.

She just said do this, do that and you will be fine. While I’m sure I would have been fine, I figured it would be better to consult with a cookbook so I would have something to share with all of you that came with real measurements.

Crisps really are one of those basic desserts that tastes like you’ve gone to a whole lot more trouble than you did. And if you have fresh fruit in the house like peaches or blueberries or strawberries or cherries or pears – they can all become a crisp.

For people who don’t want to deal with a full pie, this is the best solution.

The recipe said to let it cool. I put vanilla ice cream on my first serving – cooled it right down.

I got the recipe from Sunset’s “Easy Basics for Good Cooking” cookbook. This was one of the first two cookbooks I was given. They were Christmas gifts from my parents when I was a sophomore in college.

The cookbook says the crisp is best eaten the day it’s made. I have to agree.

 Apple Crisp

1 C firmly packed brown sugar

1 C all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ C butter or margarine

7-8 baking apples (2-2½ pounds)

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar, flour and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; set aside.

Peel apples; slice thinly into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon peel; to coat apples, then spread them out in pan. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over apples.

Bake, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes or until apples are fork-tender and top crust is browned and crisp. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving, or let cool completely and serve at room temperature. Makes 6 to 8 servings.