TWD: Cran (Raisin) Apple Crisps

I have often said that I was going to halve a recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie, but I would never remember to actually do it. Ladies and gentlemen, I did it this time! This may seem like nothing for most of you, but I think it's important to celebrate the little victories. It's the same reason that when I have a lot to do, I make a very detailed to-do list. And by detailed, I mean, instead of do the laundry, I say, sort the clothes, wash the clothes, dry the clothes, fold the clothes, put the clothes away, and so on. I do this because I like the feeling of having accomplished something and being able to cross it off of my list. It's so rewarding to me to double triple quadruple cross-out items on my enormously long to-do list. So you know what--I'm going to celebrate this small victory. :)

The TWD I picked for this week was Cran-Apple Crisps, which was originally chosen by Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef. Be sure to check out her site for the recipe.


But like usual these days, I can't seem to get my hands on some of the ingredients necessary. I just couldn't find cranberries for sale, so for the dried cranberries, I used raisins, and for the fresh cranberries,  I used pears.

I was pretty happy with the flavor combination, and I absolutely loved the coconut in the topping. What a genius idea, Dorie! Also, for once I was glad I didn't have regular rolled oats but the quick-cooking kind. I'm of the faction that's not a huge fan of oatmeal laden struesel topping. For me, I'm just not a big fan of the chewiness of the oats in something I expect to be crumbly and buttery. But by using quick-cooking oats, I got the oat flavor without the chewiness. I will definitely try to remember that trick when I'm in America making an oatmeal topping....we'll see how well that goes....but one can hope!

And these little puppies came together in a flash. The baking time originally called for 40 minutes, but I think they were quite ready in 20-25 minutes. And you just can't beat the smell of baking apple. It just transports you to home and makes you feel cozy...happy...loved. It's amazing what one smell can do. And I have yet to meet someone who smells baking apples and thinks, "Blech...baked apples!" No, it just doesn't happen. And for good reason.

So to sum it all up, these were nice little treats that are perfect for a cool day or a warm one, really anytime you just want to feel good. And you can feel good. They're made with apples. That's a fruit. And oatmeal. That's like super health food. So those things totally cancel out anything negative in these cups. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :)