Oodles of Apples

I love the fall. I adore October.  It is hands down my favorite time of year.  The briskness of the air, the changing colors of the leaves,  all of the sights, sounds and scents (cinnamon and cloves?)  connected with the changing of the seasons.  It's enchanting.
When I think of all the satisfying things that come with autumn, my mind naturally goes to food.  Pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, and of course...apples.  Every fall I feel an undeniable urge for massive apple consumption.  It probably has something to do with all the apple picking (and eating) we did as kids.  Candied apples, apple cider, apple donuts... bring it on.
So when Josh suggested we go apple picking last weekend, you can only imagine my delight when we ending up carting home a bushel of apples.  What will 2 people do with that many apples?  It's a challenge I am more than qualified to meet.

Apple Granola Breakfast

serves 8 to 10

*You can use whatever kind of apples you like to bake with. I had a mix of golden delish and matsu so that's what I used, but use whatever you want.  Also, the more butter you use the better the granola will hold together.  You could use an entire stick and it would be perfect, but for the sake of my thighs I decided to use half of that.  It's still really good, just tad bit softer than most granola.

9 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks

2 TBS lemon juice

3 TBS sugar

2 TBS cornstarch

1.5 tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

4 TBS butter

1/4 cup honey 

1/2 cup flour

2 cups oats

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix apple chunks with lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a 9x13 inch baking dish until apples are evenly coated.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter with the honey. Stir in the flour, oats, almonds and another pinch of salt until small clumps form.

Spread the mixture evenly over the apples, cover with foil, and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, allowing the granola to darken.  (I didn't do this and the top of mine burnt).  Cool at room temperature and throw it in the fridge.  Enjoy in the morning with a big dollop of yogurt on top.