APPLE BROWN BETTY–AN EASY HISTORICAL DESSERT- by Cheryl Pierson

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If you’ve ever had Apple Brown Betty, please raise your hand! If you’ve ever HEARD of Apple Brown Betty, please raise your hand! Well, my hand only came up one time…

I remember my mom mentioning it a time or two, but I don’t recall her ever making it. I’ve never had it, but I’m going to rectify that situation tonight or tomorrow—sometime this weekend!

This is a dessert that, by all accounts, gives us all the taste of apple pie but with no crust. Instead of crust, you get………ice cream on top AND caramel syrup if you so desire!

This dessert dates back to colonial times, though most sources say it was mentioned in print for the first time by name in 1864. It’s supposed to be easy to make, and doesn’t require a lot of special ingredients—so it’s hard to imagine that I’ve lived this long and never have had it. I can tell by looking at the picture and the recipe my hubby is going to love it—he’s an apple pie fanatic. For those of you who are NOT apple dessert lovers, this recipe can also be made with pears or berries as a variation!

I found this recipe and picture on Cooking Professionally dot com. They have a wonderful newsletter you can also sign up for! There are other variations on this classic recipe, but this is the one that looks the best to me! By the way, I bought some oranges the other day, but have no orange juice since we don’t drink it anymore, and one of the recipes I looked at mentioned using the juice of one orange, or about ¼ of a cup—which is what this recipe calls for as well. Glad I bought those oranges!

APPLE BROWN BETTY

Ingredients:

4 cups apples, thinly sliced

1/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg salt, to taste

1/2 cup butter, cold, sliced into cubes

vanilla ice cream, optional, for serving

caramel sauce, optional, for serving

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Grease a 9-inch pie pan.
  3. Spread the sliced apples in the bottom of the pie pan.
  4. Drizzle the orange juice over the apples. This helps prevent the apples from browning.
  5. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  6. Add in the butter and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Try not to get the butter too warm in this stage, as that can change the texture of the crust later on.
  7. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the apples in an even layer.
  8. Bake until the apples are bubbly and cooked through and the crust is crisp, for about 45 minutes.
  9. Let cool for a few minutes and serve warm, with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce if desired.

 

Y’all know I’m the Caramel Sauce Goddess—no, not MAKING it, but EATING it! I found a recipe for that, too, at bellyful dot net, though I have not tried it—it looks easy enough and I’m hoping it will be!

CARAMEL SAUCE

Prep Time: 2 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Cool down: 10 mins

Total Time: 22 mins

Servings: 10 (2 tablespoons per serving – 1 1/4 cups total)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Add the sugar and water to a 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan; stir a little so it sits in a flat, even layer.
  2. Warm pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves, turns clear, and starts to bubble. (It will be cloudy at first, but will turn into a clear, bubbling liquid.) This takes about 3-4 minutes.
  3. (At this point, do not stir again – simply allow to bubble, swirl the saucepan occasionally and brush down the sides of the pan, as needed, to prevent crystallization.)
  4. Sugar will form clumps, but continue swirling and cooking until the mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color like honey (this can take anywhere from 8-12 minutes), keeping a watchful eye so the mixture doesn’t burn.
  5. Carefully add the butter and whisk until completely melted. (The caramel will bubble up rapidly, so be careful and continue to whisk.)
  6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking continuously until all of the cream has been incorporated.
  7. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
  8. Set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
  9. Then pour into a lidded glass jar and allow to cool completely. (It will thicken as it cools.)

 

Refrigerate up to three weeks—you can heat it up in the microwave to use after the Apple Brown Betty is gone if you want…more ice cream!

Have you ever had Apple Brown Betty? Inquiring minds want to know—what does your recipe look like in comparison to this one? It’s been said this was a favorite of President Ronald Reagan.

I have a feeling I know what my heroine in my WIP is going to be whipping up for a tasty dessert when it’s time for a meal!

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A native Oklahoman, I've been influenced by the west all my life. I love to write short stories and novels in the historical western and western romance genres, as well as contemporary romantic suspense! Check my Amazon author page to see my work: http://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
I live in Oklahoma City with my husband of 40 years. I love to hear from readers and other authors--you can contact me here: fabkat_edit@yahoo.com
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44 thoughts on “APPLE BROWN BETTY–AN EASY HISTORICAL DESSERT- by Cheryl Pierson”

    • Oh, how I love caramel sauce…almost as much as chocolate, and I have been known to choose it over chocolate from time to time. LOL Both of these recipes look pretty easy, and I’m all about that, too, Denise! LOL

    • Debra, I am really amazed that my mom never made this, since she cooked everything from scratch and grew up during the Depression–I would have thought this would be something she’d have made sometimes. I’m glad to discover it now! LOL

  5. I have heard of it but never made it. It sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipes! I’m going to try it.

  7. I have never had it although I have heard of it. It is definitely simple and would be good with a few other fruits as well. I will give it a try. Thank you.

    • Judy, I’m wondering how it would be with blackberries–my hubby and I both love blackberry cobbler, This might be a good, quick substitute sometimes if they work in it as well as apples.

  8. I make caramel sauce all the time but I make it with goat’s milk and it takes a good bit longer.

    • I love homemade sauces, Rhonda. My mom made everything from scratch, icings and chocolate sauce and caramel, just everything. I don’t have her knowledge or skill, but I do think I could handle this one. Maybe… LOL

  9. I make something similar also. I don’t put orange juice in mine or nutmeg. I use melted butter instead of cold and sometimes use oatmeal in the topping. Caramel sauce would make it too good and only use ice cream if I have some. My husband and I try to curb our super sweets.

    • Connie, my husband and I have to watch it, too, on the sweets. I don’t bake much at all anymore. Not at all like when the kids were growing up. This seems to have a lot of variations, and I think it would be good even WITHOUT the ice cream and caramel sauce!

    • It really does sound great and that picture of it looks wonderful. I may give it a try on Thursday–I’ll have a day where I don’t have to go run errands and it’s supposed to be cold and “icky” I think that day. A good day to just stay home and do something like this.

  11. Welcome. Thanks for sharing the recipes. My mom would make it, but not from a recipe. So it was always a tad different each time. That was exciting. Yes we had either ice cream or plain. Later when all us kids were in high school and middle school, mom added Carmel sauce and nuts

    • Lori, my mom never used recipes either! I wish I had that talent. LOL She would make us girls clothes and not use a pattern, either. That is such a gift. I’m glad I asked Mom to write down some of her recipes, because at least she “guessed” at how much of things she used so it was at least a guide for me to go by.

  12. I have never made this and to be honest I am not much of a baker. And please don’t judge me, but I don’t like caramel sauce, it’s too sweet for me. But if I baked this I would put a little caramel sauce on it.

    • Kathleen, you made me laugh! I will love caramel sauce enough for you and me both–no judging at all! LOL In my house, growing up, everyone loved coconut in their desserts. Mom, Dad, both my sisters…but not me. When I was six, we were in the process of moving to a different town. Our furniture had not made it yet, so we pulled cabinet drawers out and turned them on their end to sit on while we had my birthday cake–which was…GERMAN CHOCOLATE–the only cake that Mom could find ready-baked. LOL Well, everyone else enjoyed it. I remember her saying, “Cheryl, just scrape off the icing.” (Of course, the icing was usually my favorite part of the cake.)

  14. I have always thought Apple Brown Betty was made with bread, coarse crumbs or cubes. Like bread pudding it used the bread that often dried out before a whole loaf was eaten in the days before plastic bread sacks and modern preservatives. The recipe I use mixes the bread cubes with melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon . This mixture is layered alternately with the apples in a baking dish. Served with Vanilla ice cream on top makes it even better.

    • Alice, that is one of the variations I saw, too! They talked about it being a variation of bread pudding in the old days. That would be a great way to use up bread ends, etc. I’m glad you mentioned how you make it, because that sounds good too. I also like the idea of using the oatmeal in the crumb mixture as someone else mentioned.

  16. I have heard of this dessert but have never made it or been served at a restaurant or home. It sounds rich and satisfying, simply looking at the list of ingredients! Interesting to read all the comments and suggestion.

    • Catherine, I love that there are so many different ways to make it and switch it around. I like the idea of using the leftover bread that was suggested and the oatmeal, too. I will use this recipe when I make it the first time so I can improvise later. LOL

  17. Wow, I’ve never heard of this, but I’m sold. This sounds amazing. I swear I gained pounds reading the recipe. I am like you, a huge caramel fan. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

    • Tonya, we will be the “Caramel Queens” from now on! LOL I love it so much and sounds like you do, too. I’m glad you liked this recipe. I think it’s just got everything–easy to make, yummy, and…CARAMEL! LOL

  18. Hi, yes, I have had Apple Betty and I really like it. I have also made it with Oatmeal for the topping. I’m not a big caramel eater , so I would prefer ice cream on it or without it. Apple Betty is delicious. The one on the pic you shared looks really good. Have a great week and stay safe. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

    • Hey, Alicia! I’m glad to know you enjoyed your variation of this recipe and more and more, I’m thinking I would like to incorporate oatmeal in the topping! Seems that is a popular addition! Yes, doesn’t that picture look great? Mouthwatering!

  19. The recipe my Mom made must be the poor version of Apple Brown Betty! This is how she made it for dessert many nights growing up. We had fancy desserts too, but this was one all 7 of us ate! On a baking sheet, lay out 2 pieces of bread for each person. Top 1 piece of bread with applesauce. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with other piece of bread. Pat a little butter on the bread and toast. Flip and toast other side of bread. EAT! (Sometimes we had it open-faced.) Simple, but oh, so good!

    • Susan, that sounds wonderful! I’m a huge applesauce lover, too. OH MY GOSH. This is something I think I could eat for breakfast–I have problems eating anything early in the day but this, I think I could do! Thanks for telling us about this!

  22. Oh, yum! I have been thinking of Apple Crisp a lot lately. We never called it Apple Brown Betty, just Apple Crisp but they are similar. There is a bit more in the filling and oatmeal in the topping. I usually make pies, but these both mix up much quicker and may be a little less fattening, we won’t consider the caramel sauce. Speaking of that, it sounds so good. I could likely sit down and just eat it with a spoon, who needs Betty, Crisp, or ice cream.

    Below is the recipe I found on line for the Apple Crisp. It is pretty much the same as our’s and easier to use it rather than try to find mine. I do like the idea of using orange juice rather than water. It would give it a nice flavor boost.
    Ingredients

    Apple Crisp

    Salted butter, for the baking dish

    8 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

    1 cup granulated sugar

    1 heaping tablespoon all-purpose flour

    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    Topping:

    1 cup all-purpose flour

    1 cup quick-cooking oats

    1 cup packed brown sugar

    1/4 teaspoon baking powder

    1/4 teaspoon baking soda

    Pinch of kosher salt

    1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted

    Ice cream or frozen custard, for serving

    Directions

    For the apples: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with butter.
    Arrange the apple slices in the prepared baking dish in an even layer. In a bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples, then pour 1/2 cup water over top.
    For the topping: In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. Stir while drizzling in the melted butter. Sprinkle the topping in an even layer over the apples.
    Bake until the topping is slightly crisp and golden brown, about 43 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature on its own, with ice cream or with frozen custard.

    • Patricia, this sounds marvelous! I think I must try both recipes and add to my “repertoire”! LOL Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m all about something “easy” to make–I don’t have the patience to spend a long time cooking stuff anymore. This is perfect!

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