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A CLASSIC APPLE BROWN BETTY 2

Upper Crusts: Fabulous Ways To Use Bread
No one remembers who Betty was, but a Brown Betty is both layered and topped with sweet buttered crumbs. In this recipe (and others), it is important for the crumbs to be dry since they will absorb the juices from the middle and bottom layers and remain crunchy on top.
Serves 6.

Ingredients
• 1 & 1/2 cups dry unseasoned bread crumbs
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 & 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed (sift if lumpy)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 pound apples (about 3 medium apples), peeled, cored, and sliced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided in half


Directions
Place your oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium size bowl, mix the bread crumbs and butter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Spread one third of the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of an 8x8-inch baking pan or a 9-inch pie pan.

Place half of the apples over the crumb mixture and sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture.

Drizzle on 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice and cover with another third of the crumb mixture, the rest of the apples, and the rest of the sugar mixture.

Drizzle on the remaining lemon juice and cover with the remaining crumb mixture.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until the apples are nearly tender, about 40 minutes.

Uncover the dish, increase the oven temperature to 400°F and continue baking until the Betty is browned, about 15 minutes. Great served with vanilla ice cream.

TIP: To keep brown sugar from hardening, store it in a container with a tight-fitting lid, along with a piece of bread.