Honey Apple Crisp

Yeah I realize it looks dry because it is.  It is a day old.

My mom and grandma baked with whole wheat flour and honey when I was growing up.  Grandma had completely changed her diet after cancer and my mom was simply interested in eating healthy.  On the farm were two apple orchards, my parents' orchard and my grandparents' older orchard.  Apples were quite abundant and therefore we had to come up with many ways to dispose of them in the fall, the most notable of which were apple cider and this recipe, which Grandma would freeze in batches.  She developed this recipe.  It uses honey and whole wheat flour and, I assure you, is quite good.  You don't miss the white flour or the sugar.

However...I did cheat a little.  I changed the recipe just a smidgen and added sugar to the crumbs; I don't relish unsweetened crumbs and honey is too liquid to sweeten them effectively.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix:
10 cups peeled, sliced apples (Mom would take it a step farther and not peel them)  I far prefer tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith for this recipe.
3/4 cup honey
3 1/2 T cornstarch
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Tablespoon or two of water if apples aren't juicy- better yet, use apple cider if you have any on hand.

 Using a pastry blender, mix:
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 cup quick rolled oats
1 1/2 stick margarine or butter
1 cup sugar (brown is probably the best; white is fine)

Pour apple mixture into a 7X10 baking dish.  Cover with crumbs and bake at  375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until apples are bubbling and crumb topping is golden brown.  I usually cook for 50 minutes to an hour here at high altitude.  I like my apples to be good and mushy.