Peggy Hill's Apple Brown Betty

This isn't a actual recipe from "King of the Hill", there is one repeated a lot online that uses bread crumbs and nutmeg with different measurements that claims to be "Peggy Hill's" recipe, but none of the pictures of the finished products were very appealing to my eye and stomach, so this is a version I adapted from one found in a magazine years ago but I never got around to making, until now. As for the title, honestly every time I hear Apple Brown Betty I think "Peggy Hill, Substitute Teacher of the year 96"-97", so its what I nicknamed this recipe.

Ingredients: 6 Tart Baking Apples

1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Molasses

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 

*For Crumb Topping: 1/2 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1/4 Cup Butter (melted)

Start by peeling, coring, and slicing the Apples (set in a bowl of water to keep crisp)

Crush the Graham Crackers into crumbs and set aside

In a bowl, melt the Butter

Then add the Molases

Cinnamon

Water

And Brown Sugar mixing thoroughly

In a large baking dish, start with a bottom layer of Graham Cracker crumbs

Then a layer of Apples

Alternate between the two, finishing the top layer with Apples

Pour the sauce mixture over the top

Making sure to distribute evenly

Cover with foil and place in a prheated oven at 350F

Bake twenty minutes then rotate, bake another twenty minutes, uncover and continue baking an additional ten minutes

Let cool before serving

*This recipe did not call for a crumb topping, but as I removed the foil, I was disappointed with the dark molasess covered Apples, they looked dirty, so I adapted the topping from a blueberry muffin recipe. To make the topping simply add all the ingredients together and mix thoroughly, sprinkle over the top after removing the foil and place under the ovens broiler until golden brown.

I have never had a Apple Brown Betty before (usually don't really care for baked dishes containing apples) and was expecting more of a pie like texture, however it caught me off guard being more along the lines of a cobbler. The bold molasses flavor and hint of cinnamon with the sweet chew of cooked apples and sugar were subtle while a underlying hint of butter in the crumb topping made the crust rich and flaky. I still prefer to bake with other fruits over Apples, but this is a wonderful dish that isn't too overpowering with any single ingredient that goes great by itself or with a scoop of ice cream.