brown betty recipe collection

© 2008 The Prepared Pantry 1

Includes “The Secrets to a Great Brown Betty”

Brown BettiesA Collection of Brown Betty Recipes


We can remember brown betty from elementary school, from the school lunch program.The lunch workers would bring out these giant aluminum pans filled with brown betty. It was a harmless, nondescript dessert—a bread crumb topping over a canned apple pie filling.

A brown betty can be much better than those old desserts from school. Made with fresh, tart apples and a topping that is slightly crunchy, not soggy, a brown betty can rival an apple pie--only easier. And then there are variations like a pear-blueberry betty, a cranapple sour cream betty, and a strawberry rhubarb betty. We'll share these recipes with you.

A betty is an easy, economical dessert. It’s easier to make than a pie and you can use almost any fruit filling. We’ll tell you how in this little guide.

We think you'll fall in love with a betty.

Happy baking,

Dennis & Merri Ann Weaver

Copyright © 2006-2008 by Dennis R Weaver and The Prepared Pantry. All rights reserved.

Photographs by Debbie Frantzen and The Prepared Pantry.

The material herein is published by The Prepared Pantry for the private use of individuals and may not be used for commercial purposes without the express consent of the publisher. The information contained herein is believed accurate but the publisher makes no warranties, express or implied, and the recipient is using this information at his or her own risk.

The Prepared Pantrywww.preparedpantry.com2 North Landmark LaneRigby, ID 83442

1-208-745-7892

http://www.preparedpantry.com/

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Brown Betties: A Collection of Brown Betty Recipes

Brown Betties: A Collection of Brown Betty Recipes ................................................4The Secrets to a Great Brown Betty .........................................................................5Jen’s Best Apple Brown Betty ..................................................................................6Pear-Blueberry Brown Betty.....................................................................................7Cranapple Sour Cream Betty ...................................................................................8Peach Brown Betty...................................................................................................9Strawberry Rhubarb Betty ......................................................................................10Free 250-page Baking Book...................................................................................11Free Baking Guides ...............................................................................................11Free Recipe Collections .........................................................................................11


The Secrets to a Great Brown Betty

A brown betty should be buttery with tender sweet fruit and a crunchy topping. It should not be watery or soggy.

Use good fruit. A brown betty will be no better than the fruit used. Bruised, soft apples will never make a great betty. Use cooking apples such as Granny Smith; eating apples will become soft and mushy when cooked.

Make the filling buttery. For a 9 x 9-inch pan, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup butter to the filling.(You can substitute sour cream or whipping cream for the butter for an interesting change.)

Sweet but not too sweet. Balance the sugar to the fruit. Pears, which are naturally very sweet, require less sugar than tart apples. One-third cup sugar is about right for very tart apples. Two tablespoons will work for pears. For tart rhubarb, you may want as much as 2/3 cup sugar. Either granulated or brown sugar will work.

Add a little starch. Once cooked, your filling should have a thick gravy-like slurry and not be runny. By mixing flour with the fruit before baking, you will absorb some of the juices and the starch with gelatinize to thicken your slurry.The amount of flour depends on the fruit. Soft apples and pears will probably need about two tablespoons of flour; hard apples need one and peaches will likely need three.

A topping that covers. You need enough crumb topping to cover your apples and keep them from drying out. Without the protective topping, apples protruding through the topping will become leathery.

Crisp but not dry. The topping should be crisp and not soggy. The apples will cook much faster if the baking dish is covered with aluminum foil. Remove the foil for the last ten or fifteen minutes to allow the topping to become crisp.


Jen’s Best Apple Brown Betty

This is the classic brown betty—a topping over a simple apple filling. We think this is the best of the classic apple betty recipes.

For the filling

6 medium Granny Smith apples1 tablespoon lemon juice1/4 cup butter, melted1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the topping

6-8 slices firm, not doughy, white bread (French bread works well) to make 3 cups coarse crumbs1/3 cup brown sugar1/3 cup butter, melted1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

1. For the filling, peel and slice the apples so that they are 1/4 to 3/8-inches thick. Toss the slices with the lemon juice and melted butter.

2. Stir the apple slices with the sugar, cinnamon and flour until evenly distributed. Spread the coated apples in a 9x9-inch ungreased baking pan.

3. For the topping, use a food processor to make 3 cups coarse bread crumbs. The crumbs should be about the size of peas.

4. Toss the bread crumbs with the cinnamon and second measure of brown sugar. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and toss again. Spread the topping over the fruit to cover. Cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the apples are tender when poked with a skewer or toothpick. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 350 degrees to make the topping crunchy.

Serve hot or cold with ice cream.


Pear-Blueberry Brown Betty

We’ve always been partial to pears and blueberries together. This combination tastes great together and classes up a brown betty.

For the filling

5 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks3/4 cup individually frozen blueberries1 tablespoon lemon juice1/4 cup butter, melted2 tablespoons granulated sugar1/4 teaspoon nutmeg2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the topping


Directions


1. For the filling, toss the pear chunks with the lemon juice and melted butter. Stir in the sugar, nutmeg, and flour until evenly distributed.Spread the coated pears in a 9x9-inch ungreased baking pan.



4. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pears are tender when poked with a skewer or toothpick. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 350 degrees to make the topping crunchy.



Cranapple Sour Cream Betty

One of our favorite apple pie recipes calls for sour cream and dried cranberries. The combination really livens a pie and makes a scrumptious betty.

For the filling

5 medium Granny Smith apples1/4 cup dried cranberries1 tablespoon lemon juice1/3 cup sour cream1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the topping


Directions


1. For the filling, peel and slice the apples so that they are 1/4 to 3/8-inches thick. Toss the slices with the lemon juice and sour cream. Add the cranberries.

2. Stir the apple slices with the sugar, cinnamon and flour until evenly distributed. Spread the coated apples in a 9x9-inch ungreased baking pan.



5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the apples are tender when poked with a skewer or toothpick. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 350 degrees to make the topping crunchy.



Peach Brown Betty

There’s not much that is more succulent and sweet than perfectly ripe peaches. But really good peaches seem to be gone is just a couple weeks.Frozen peaches make an acceptable substitute in baking. This is a good betty.

For the filling

4 cups frozen peach slices (fresh peaches may be substituted)1 tablespoon lemon juice1/4 cup butter, melted1/3 cup brown sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon nutmeg2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the topping


Directions


1. For the filling, toss the peach slices with the lemon juice and melted butter.

2. Stir the slices with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour until evenly distributed. Spread the coated slices in a 9x9-inch ungreased baking pan.



5. Bake for 20 minutes (15 minutes for fresh peaches) or until the peaches are tender when poked with a skewer or toothpick. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 350 degrees to make the topping crunchy.

Serve hot or cold with ice cream or whipped cream.


Strawberry Rhubarb Betty

This is a spring favorite, a combination of strawberries and rhubarb. It’s a classic pie combination but a betty is easier to make. If you don’t care for a pie crust, this is even better.

For the filling

3 cups fresh rhubarb cut into 1/4-inch thick slices3 cups fresh or individually frozen strawberries1 tablespoon lemon juice1/4 cup butter, melted2/3 cup brown sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon nutmeg2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the topping


Directions


1. For the filling, toss the rhubarb slices and strawberries with the lemon juice and melted butter.

2. Stir the slices with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour until evenly distributed. Spread the coated slices in a 9x9-inch ungreased baking pan.



5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender when poked with a skewer or toothpick. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees to make the topping crunchy.



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brown betty recipe collection

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