Y'ALL! BILLY MADE A BOOK!!!!
If you don't know Billy, I feel sorry for you. Billy runs a blog called Wit & Vinegar and it's full of Housewives gifs, pictures of Rainbow-era Mariah Carey going to town on popsicles, and desserts and tacos and other foodstuffs that make me want to scream and cry at the same time bc I try my hardest to be a #healthkween when I'm not baking for the blog. Billy is also my virtual sidechick. I text him about the boys I'm going on dates with from Tinder and we talk way too much about Jamie Lynn Spears and drag queens, aka everything important in life.
Billy also did the damn thing and wrote and designed and photographed his first of what I'm sure will be many cookbooks, Whip It Up, and it's pretty much everything I've ever wanted/wished for/needed. First of all, it's fucking beautiful — it's poppy, colorful, and delightfully fun. Secondly, there are entire chapters devoted solely to v important food groups like tacos, popsicles, and dog treats. PSA: THERE IS ALSO A NUTELLA BROWNIE TART DUSTED WITH POWDERED SUGAR IN THE SHAPE OF THE NAILS EMOJI AND IF THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU WANT TO BUY IT NOW DON'T EVEN TRY TO BE MY FRIEND ANYMORE. 💅💅💅💅💅💅💅
A few bloggers and I are doing a little virtual book tour this week to celebrate Whip It Up's release, sharing bits and pieces and other bites from the cookbook. After careful consideration (read: me looking in the fridge to see what I could make on my broke college student budget), I decided to put on my Dixie Chicks Greatest Hits playlist, dance around the kitchen with a paring knife and make this vanilla apple crumble. Don't tell him, but I definitely subbed the walnuts for pecans (because lazy and poor) and topped the whole shebang with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel. Honestly, I couldn't have had a better excuse to skip my weekly barre class. So thanks Billy, this one's for you! My thighs are thanking you.
Vanilla Apple Crumble
for the topping:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 vanilla bean pod, split, seeds scraped and reserved
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (I used pecans bc I was too lazy to drive to the store)
for the filling:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 large tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced (Fuji or Gala work great)
- vanilla ice cream, for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and pull out your favorite 8x8-inch baking dish.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and add the vanilla bean pod and the seeds to the melted butter, and let steep for 20 minutes.
To make the filling: combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the peeled and slices apples and toss until evenly combined, set aside.
For the topping, mix the flour, brown sugar, salt and walnuts together. Remove the vanilla pod and add the vanilla butter, mixing until evenly moistened and well combined.
Add the apple mixture to the prepared baking dish, and then distribute the crumb toping over the top. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and then serve with ice cream and caramel and whatever else your little heart desires.
