Today’s Spotlight is on Apple Betty.

An Apple Betty or Brown Betty is a traditional American dessert made from fruit and sweetened crumbs. Similar to a cobbler or apple crisp, the fruit is baked, and, in this case, the sweetened crumbs are placed in layers between the fruit. It is usually served with lemon sauce or whipped cream.

Apple crisp and apple betty are similar apple desserts. The main difference is in the crumble topping. Apple crisps use a flour and oat mixture, while apple Bettys use breadcrumbs. The topping for apple Bettys is layered throughout the fruit mixture before baking. This creates a crunchy effect.

Here are some other differences between apple crisps and apple Bettys:

• Apple crisps are baked, deep-dish desserts.
• Apple Bettys use flour or breadcrumbs, butter, sugar, and spices for the topping.
• Apple crisps have oats in the topping.
• Apple Bettys have no oats in the topping.

Apple crisps are also called apple crumbles. Apple Betty is a great dessert any time of year, but is especially wonderful in the fall months

History

The Apple Betty is a simple dessert made with sweet apples, breadcrumbs, and spices. This fall-inspired treat has been around since colonial times.  The first appearance of the dessert was in 1864 in an article in the Yale Literary Magazine. The name “brown Betty” first appeared in print in 1864.

The Apple Betty is believed to have evolved from the classic English bread pudding. It was a popular baked pudding made during colonial times in America.

 

Here are some fun facts about Apple Betty:

• The Apple Brown Betty was a favorite dessert of the Reagans when they lived in the White House.
• The dessert was first published in the Yale Literary Magazine in 1864. The recipe called for sweet apples, breadcrumbs, and spices.
• The dessert is said to have evolved from English bread pudding. The name comes from its creator, an African American woman named Betty Brown. The “Brown” in Brown Betty is said to denote her skin color.
• The dessert has been a popular staple on tables across America. In 1890, the recipe won the American Public Health Association’s Lomb Prize for its practicality and economy.
• A classic topping for the Brown Betty is lemon sauce. A Betty does not typically use oats in the topping.

 

Here is an Apple Betty Recipe for you to Try:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups thinly sliced apples (about 2 apples)
• 1/4 cup of orange juice
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, sliced into cubes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Pile apples on the pie plate and drizzle with orange juice to avoid browning.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in the butter until the mixture turns into coarse crumbs.
4. Sprinkle the crumbs all over the apples.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
6. Enjoy!

 

Celebrating Apple Betty

The first National Apple Betty Day was celebrated on October 21, 1990. The day was founded by a U.K. based charity organization named Common Ground. The day celebrates the various varieties of apples all around the world.

In the USA, National Apple Betty Day is celebrated on October 5th each year.  This day is a national food holiday in the United States. It celebrates the dessert apple betty, which is a crustless apple pie. Let us know in the comments if you have tried Apple Betty and if so, how do you like it?

To celebrate National Apple Betty Day, you can try making this dessert yourself. You can place 1 1/2 cup of soft bread cubes without crusts into a buttered shallow baking dish. Then, mix the cubes with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and set aside.