Corn Flakes Apple Crunch is another very old recipe from my mom's recipe box. She called it Apple Crunch and just glancing at the recipe I thought it looked delicious. I must say, I do enjoy a tasty apple dessert.
On further inspection of her recipe, I realized she had forgotten to write down a couple of directions and possibly left out an ingredient.
I was really looking forward to trying this version of apple crisp, so I just went for it and made adjustments as I went. Let me tell you, I love using Corn Flakes Cereal for the crispy topping on this apple dessert!
After making notes on the changes I made and finishing the photographs, I finally gave it a taste. Warm apples, crunchy sweet topping, hints of nutmeg and lemon. And, of course, the melting vanilla ice cream.
Oh yeah! Don't judge but I ended up having it for lunch!
One thing, I would suggest is serving this apple dessert within a few hours of removing it from the oven. In my opinion, it is best when served warm.
If you serve it the next day you might notice the cereal topping has become a bit chewy and no longer has a crunch to it. It is still good, just not the same.
Other recipes you might like
- Lemonade Cake with Marshmallow Frosting
- Corn Flakes Cookies
- Grandma's Easy Jam Squares
- Sour Cream Lemon Pie
Ingredients needed
To make Corn Flakes Apple Crunch you will need...
- Granny Smith Apples
- Lemon
- Nutmeg
- Cornstarch
- Brown Sugar
- Corn Flakes Cereal
- Butter or Margarine
Mom vs me
Just a couple of notes about the changes and clarifications I made to this recipe.
First of all, mom's recipe didn't state what type of apple to use. I chose Granny Smith Apples because they were one of her favorites and it just seemed to make sense. Honey Crisp Apples are my favorite and I'm sure they would work fine too.
At the time of this post, we are currently going through "social distancing" and we don't make a lot of trips to the store. Dark brown sugar has been all we have been able to find lately and it worked great. Normally I would use the light brown sugar.
In writing out the recipe, mom indicated that the sugar was to be divided, but she wasn't specific how. Her recipe called for a total of 1 ¼ cups, some to be mixed with apples and some to go in the topping. I decreased the amount to one cup and divided as shown in my version of the recipe.
Mom's recipe called for lemon zest only. I figured I might as well add a bit of lemon juice too, so I added juice from half of the lemon after zesting it.
Finally, mom's recipe didn't call for flour or cornstarch. I was worried the filling might be juicy. I decided to add a bit of cornstarch and it came out perfect.
Oh, I almost forgot. Mom's recipe said to bake at 375 degrees for about an hour. After only 35 - 40 minutes I noticed the topping was browning nice and the apples were tender. My apples were not mushy and had a little crispness left to them, just how I like them. If you want your apples cooked more, reduce the temperature and cook a little longer. Remember, all ovens cook a little differently.
How to prepare
Peel and slice the apples and add them to a large bowl.
Add the brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice, and the nutmeg. Stir well.
Place the apples in a 9 x 9 baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Measure the Corn Flakes Cereal into a Zip-loc bag. Close the bag and using your hands, or a rolling pin, crush the cereal into small pieces.
Add the brown sugar and melted butter. Close the bag again and use your hands again and mix the ingredients together. Sprinkle the topping onto the apples. Bake.
Recipe
Corn Flakes Apple Crunch
Ingredients
- 6 cups Granny Smith Apples sliced (about 5 apples)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar divided
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 Lemon juice and zest
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 4 cups Corn Flakes Cereal
- 4 tablespoons Butter or Margarine, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Peel and slice apples. Place apples in a large bowl.
- Add the ⅔ cup brown sugar, lemon zest and juice from half the lemon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Mix well.
- Pour the apples into a 9 x 9 baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Place 4 cups of Corn Flakes Cereal in a zip-loc bag. Seal and crush the cereal into small pices.
- Add ⅓ cup brown sugar and melted butter to the cereal, re-seal and mix well squishing with your hands.
- Sprinkle the topping over the apples. Bake 35 - 45 minutes or until golden brown and the apples are cooked.
- Serve warm with ice cream!
Notes
Nutrition
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Could you use just lemon juice? If so....how much?
Hi!
Thank you for the question. Using 1 - 2 tablespoons of lemon juice should work just fine.
Can I use unpeeled apples?
Hi,
I am sure that would be just fine. Usually, I prefer to leave apples unpeeled myself. This particular recipe I left just as my mom wrote it. Let me know if you like it.