Apple-Blackberry Betty
By Andrea GearyPublished on August 2, 2021
Time
1½ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can substitute another soft, enriched bread such as challah or brioche for the sandwich bread; be sure to use 10 ounces. We call for a mix of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples here, but feel free to substitute a sweet variety and a tart variety of your choice. You can substitute raspberries or blueberries for the blackberries, and it's fine to use frozen berries; alternatively, you can omit the berries. We like the flavor of nutmeg here, but substitute ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon if you prefer it. This dessert is best served freshly baked and warm, but you can cover any leftovers tightly with foil and refrigerate them for up to two days; warm before serving.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about 15 pulses. Add ½ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon salt and pulse to combine, about 5 pulses. Drizzle with melted butter and pulse until evenly distributed, about 5 pulses. Scatter 2½ cups bread crumb mixture in 8-inch square baking dish. Press gently to create even layer.
- Combine apples, water, vanilla, nutmeg, remaining ⅓ cup sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl. Pile apple mixture atop bread crumb mixture in dish and spread and press into even layer. Sprinkle blackberries over apples (dish will be very full). Distribute remaining bread crumb mixture evenly over blackberries, and press lightly to form uniform layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. (Uncooked Betty can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.) Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake on lower rack until apples are soft, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.
- Remove foil and transfer dish to upper rack. Bake until crumbs on top are crisp and well browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream.
Time
1½ hours, plus 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
An apple Betty is like an apple crisp, but instead of a crumbly butter/sugar/flour topping, it has slightly sweetened bread crumbs both above and below the apples. A combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples mixed with just ⅓ cup of brown sugar gave our Betty a sweet-tart flavor, and a teaspoon of vanilla and a touch of nutmeg added subtle depth. Two tablespoons of water mixed into the apples created steam in the oven to jump-start the cooking, ensuring that the apples would be luxuriously soft. Bread crumbs made from white sandwich bread, enriched with butter and brown sugar and pressed into the bottom of the baking dish, accommodated any excess moisture shed by the apples as they cooked, while those on the top turned crisp and brown.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
You can substitute another soft, enriched bread such as challah or brioche for the sandwich bread; be sure to use 10 ounces. We call for a mix of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples here, but feel free to substitute a sweet variety and a tart variety of your choice. You can substitute raspberries or blueberries for the blackberries, and it's fine to use frozen berries; alternatively, you can omit the berries. We like the flavor of nutmeg here, but substitute ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon if you prefer it. This dessert is best served freshly baked and warm, but you can cover any leftovers tightly with foil and refrigerate them for up to two days; warm before serving.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about 15 pulses. Add ½ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon salt and pulse to combine, about 5 pulses. Drizzle with melted butter and pulse until evenly distributed, about 5 pulses. Scatter 2½ cups bread crumb mixture in 8-inch square baking dish. Press gently to create even layer.
- Combine apples, water, vanilla, nutmeg, remaining ⅓ cup sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl. Pile apple mixture atop bread crumb mixture in dish and spread and press into even layer. Sprinkle blackberries over apples (dish will be very full). Distribute remaining bread crumb mixture evenly over blackberries, and press lightly to form uniform layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. (Uncooked Betty can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.) Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake on lower rack until apples are soft, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.
- Remove foil and transfer dish to upper rack. Bake until crumbs on top are crisp and well browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream.
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