Every Christmas morning, for as long as I can remember, I have eaten "apple stuff" for breakfast. My mom would fill the crock pot on Christmas Eve and we would wake up to the amazing scent of warm apples and spice. After we opened our stockings on Mom & Dad's bed, we would head downstairs to fill our bowls with the apple-y oat-y goodness, pour cream on top, and savor each spoonful. For me, it just wouldn't be Christmas without this delicious breakfast, so I have kept the tradition alive within my own family.
Why am I talking about Christmas breakfast in January? Good question. Well, I made Apple Stuff this snowy January morning -- the first time I have ever made it on a day other than the 24th or 25th of December. It seemed strange and I almost refused when my husband requested that I make it. Silly, I know, but I worried that eating it more often would make it less special on Christmas morning. His pleading look won me over, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it.
Below is my copy of the family recipe, written in my mother's hand. I love that it originally came from one of our family's oldest and dearest friends. In fact, Betsy and her husband, Jud, were the only adults that we, as children, ever called by their first names. They were (are!) that special.
The dirtier the recipe card/cookbook page, the more loved the recipe.
I have made adjustments over the last decade+ of doing this on my own. The biggest change is that I don't use a crock pot any more. I wish I could, but after years of burned edges (and I mean BURNED), I have adapted it to the oven and/or stovetop. My mom never had an issue with this, so perhaps my crockpot runs hot. Happily, even with the stovetop and oven methods, everything can still be prepped the night before.
Here is my current version of Apple Stuff. This makes enough for a crowd of 10-12 (I made a half-batch today) and you may have leftovers depending on what else you are serving. It reheats beautifully.
* This recipe was updated in 2023, as I now primarily make this in the oven.
8 medium/large apples, a mixture of varieties, peeled, cored & sliced
½ cup (one stick) melted unsalted butter
2 cups granola; I prefer a very basic oat & nut granola (no raisins!), but you could really go with whatever flavor and style you think you would like.
juice of one lemon
pinch of salt
cinnamon (and/or other warm spices such as ginger & nutmeg) to taste. If you use a flavored/spiced granola you might find you don't need much, or any at all
I just want to note that I didn't forget to write in the sugar; I don't add any.
CROCK POT METHOD: Simply combine all the ingredients and cook on the lowest setting overnight
STOVE TOP METHOD: Melt the butter in a fairly large heavy bottomed pot. Add all of the other ingredients and stir to incorporate. Cook on low to medium-low, stirring often, until the granola has expanded/become soft and the apples are tender and many have broken down. You may need to add water if it seems too dry. You'll know it's done when it looks like fruit-studded oatmeal and smells like heaven.
OVEN METHOD: Preheat your oven to 325º. Melt the butter in a fairly large oven-safe Dutch oven. Add all of the other ingredients and stir to incorporate. Cover and bake, stirring every so often (this is needed less frequently in the beginning stages), until the granola has expanded/become soft and the apples are tender and many have broken down. You may need to add water if it seems too dry and appears to be getting dark around the edges. You'll know it's done when it looks like fruit-studded oatmeal and smells like heaven. This could take well over an hour. I am sorry I can’t be super exacting here, but because I find that the timing varies so much (my batches are often bigger and the varieties of apples are ever-changing, etc etc etc) my best advice is to use your senses. If this seems scary to you, you may prefer one of the other cooking methods. :-)
HYBRID METHOD: Sometimes I start in the oven and finish on the stove. This tends to happen when I want to be mostly hands off (you don’t have to stir as often with the oven method), but want the “stuff” to be ready a bit faster than if I solely used the oven. So, just take it as far as you want in the oven, but switch to the stovetop when you are ready to be close by, stirring frequently until it is done.
TO SERVE: Dish into bowls while warm and top with cream or half & half.
stovetop method images from 2014:
mise en place
The ratio of apples to granola might seem odd, but the oats in the granola will expand.
This is what it looks like when it is ready. Yes, I know what I said about raisins, but it was all I had on hand this morning. It might not be my favorite version, but it was still delicious.
Trust me, don't skip the cream.
