By I turned nineteen on Monday June fifteenth. The factory had me on the full eight-hour shift Monday for the first time since reopening. The shift ended at three-thirty. Dustin met me in the parking lot with a small wrapped package and a bunch of yellow daisies he had picked up at the Walmart florist counter at lunchtime. Mama had texted at three saying she was making me dinner Monday night and that I was not to do anything in the kitchen until at least eight PM, which is the kind of instruction Mama gives on my birthday once a year.
Mama made spaghetti carbonara Monday night. The dish is the one she has made for my birthday every year since I was eleven. She does not make it any other night of the year. It is mine. Dustin had three plates. Mama had two. I had one and a small second. The carbonara is not Italian-accurate but is Mama-accurate, which is the same thing on June fifteenth at the rental-house kitchen table.
Sunday I made slow-cooker apple cobbler because the cobbler is a make-ahead dessert that does not require my hands and Mama had wanted my birthday-weekend to be the kind of weekend where the kitchen did the work without me having to commit hours to it. The slow cooker handles the cobbler in three hours on low while I sat on the back porch with a book Aunt Linda had mailed me Friday in a small package. The cobbler is fragrant, forgiving, and the kind of dessert that produces a soft-streusel top instead of the crisp-streusel an oven cobbler produces. I served it warm Sunday afternoon with vanilla ice cream. Mama had two helpings. I had one.
Slow-Cooker Apple Cobbler
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 5 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 6 cups; Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work well)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow or spice cake mix, dry
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the apples. Peel, core, and slice the apples and place them in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Toss with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice until evenly coated.
- Add the topping. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the apple layer. Do not stir—keep the layers separate.
- Add the butter. Lay the thin butter slices in a single layer over the top of the dry cake mix, covering as much surface area as possible.
- Cook. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, or until the topping is set and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Avoid lifting the lid during cooking.
- Serve. Scoop into bowls and serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 410 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 67g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 390mg