This past weekend one of my bestest friends Sammy came up to visit us from California. It was sooo fun having her and showing her around our little life here! One of the adventures we planned while she was here was to go apple picking and to make a yummy dessert with the apples.

 We went apple picking at the u-pick farm on the Washington State campus, it was a gorgeous fall day. Apple picking was one of the first things we did when she got in town, it was really fun walking around and catching up while we hunted for apples.Our favorite apples were these blushing Golden Delicious.We picked about a dozen apples total, it was a very leisurely trip and I didn’t want to get a ton and not be able to eat them all. On Sunday night we made this Chai Spiced apple crumble, two of our favorite things in one. 🙂  We topped the crumble off with a Whiskey Caramel sauce, it was the perfect compliment. Sammy had the idea to add the whiskey and it was a great addition! Our men would be proud 😉 

Chai Spiced Apple Crumble + Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Makes about 6 servings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Ingredients
Chai Spice mix
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves*
1 teaspoon ground cardamom*
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Apple Filling
3 apples – medium sized (we used Golden Delicious)
2 tablespoons butter – melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Chai Spice Mix

Crumble Topping
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup quick oats
4 tablespoons butter – slightly soft, cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon chai spice mix

Whiskey Caramel Sauce*
1 cup brown sugar- packed
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon bourbon whiskey
Pinch of salt

Preparation
Chai Spice Mix
Combine all ground spices, mix well. If some spices come unground, use a coffee grinder to grind into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.*

Apple Filling
Butter a 10×7 baking dish (8×8 would also work). Wash and core apples, slice into thin slices.* In a medium size mixing bowl toss the apple slices in the remaining apple filling ingredients, evenly coated. Pour the apple mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Crumble Topping
Combine all crumble ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl, use hands or a pastry cutter to cut in the butter into small crumbles. Pour the crumble topping over the apple filling evenly.

Place apple crumble in the oven, uncovered, bake for 35 – 40 minutes.

Whiskey Caramel Sauce
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook whisking often, until the sauce reaches a low boil and thickens. About 10 minutes. 

Serve the apple crumble and caramel sauce warm, topped with ice cream if you wish!

We had SO much fun making this together and loved eating it even more 🙂 Hope you enjoy!

*Spices: To save on these if you don’t have them on hand buy them in the bulk section of the grocery store to get the amount you need much cheaper. This Chai Spice mix is not used in entirety for this recipe and can be used in many different recipes. Think Chai Spiced pancakes or sugar cookies.
*We didn’t peel the apples because Golden Delicious have really soft skin, but feel free to peel yours before slicing if you prefer.
*Caramel Sauce: You can omit the whiskey all together for a perfectly delicious Vanilla Caramel Sauce. This recipe is based on Pioneer Woman’s Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce 😉