Apple Gingersnap Crumble

Serves 10-12

Adapted from New York Times

FOR THE FILLING
1/2 cup/100 grams brown sugar
1/4 cup/75 grams granulated sugar
3 tbsp/20 grams cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
6 pounds/2 3/4 kilograms apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 11 large)
1 cup/80 grams fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tbs/30 milliliters lemon juice
2 tbs/29 grams cold unsalted butter, cubed

FOR THE TOPPING
2 cups/250 grams all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups/250 grams dark brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
10 tbs/142 grams unsalted butter, melted
2 tbs/20 milliliters molasses

FOR SERVING
Whipped Cream

MAKE THE FILLING
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together both sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Add apple slices and cranberries, sprinkle with lemon juice, and toss to combine. Add more sugar or lemon juice if needed.

Put apple mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or a deep dish pie plate, mounding the apples in the center. Dot top with cold butter cubes. Place baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any bubbling juices that may spill over.

Bake for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Meanwhile, make the topping.

MAKE THE TOPPING
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, salt and lemon zest. Add butter and molasses, and use your fingers to crumble the mixture together to form 1/2-inch crumbles.

After 25 minutes of baking, stir the apples and mound slightly again. Gently press down on them with a spoon or spatula. Scatter crumbles evenly on top of apples.

Bake until topping is crisp and the filling bubbles through the topping, an additional 30 to 35 minutes. If the top starts to look too dark before the juices are bubbling, loosely cover top of crumble with foil. Transfer to a rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. If you made it ahead of time, you can also reheat the crumble at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve with slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Note: To prepare the dish ahead of time, you may prepare the apple-cranberry filling the night before without the cornstarch. You may also make the topping ahead of time and store in fridge. When you're ready to bake, transfer the apple mixture to the baking dish and toss in the cornstarch and dot it with butter. Bake as directed and recrumble topping with fingers before adding on top of the apples.