I think I was about 14 years old when I made my first apple crisp.
I learned how in my home economics class. The assignment was a single-serve apple crisp made in the microwave.
It wasn’t anything fancy. It required an apple, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a microwave.
But for whatever reason, I was hooked.
I don’t know if it was the simplicity or the single-serve style that I latched on to. Either way, I came home from school and proceeded to make that apple crisp every single afternoon for about two weeks.
Every. Single. Day.
I was determined to perfect it.
I remember standing in my parents’ kitchen, coring apples and carefully measuring out a tablespoon of brown sugar. Using the microwave above the stove, patiently waiting for my latest experiment to finish.
Sometimes I burned the apples. Sometimes I burned the crisp. Sometimes I probably burned both.
My mom would laugh with me (at me?), and my parents would patiently wait alongside me to see how the latest version turned out.
And then I’d do it all over again the next day.
I don’t remember exactly what I was changing each time, but I remember the experimenting. The trial and error. The satisfaction of making something myself and thinking, okay, but what if I tried this next time?
My mom still remembers those two weeks, too. It’s actually the first memory we share of me taking a real interest in cooking.
Which is kind of funny when I think about it now.
Of all the things I could have started with, it was a microwave apple crisp.
Not a complicated dinner. Not an elaborate dessert. Just a warm bowl of apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar that I couldn’t stop making.
It was indeed a snack of sorts.
And nearly twenty years later, apple crisp is still one of my favorite snacks.
Not necessarily because it’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten (although a warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream is pretty hard to beat), but because of where it takes me.
No matter when or where I have apple crisp, I’m 14 again, teleported right back into my parents’ kitchen.
I can picture the microwave above the stove. The apples on the counter. My mom laughing. All of us waiting to see whether this batch would finally be the one.
This is what I love most about food.
How one bite can bring you right back to a place, a person, or a moment you haven’t thought about in years.
It’s why I love cooking and hosting. Food isn’t just fuel. It’s memories. It’s connection. It’s the people you share it with and the little moments that somehow stick with you.
And sometimes, it’s a 14-year-old girl determined to make the world’s best microwave apple crisp.
A little less structure, a little more cooking
Last week, I shared a different kind of SubSNACK. No recipes. Just a messy, honest essay about where I’m at and my desire to be more present in my own life.
And I really appreciated the response. Seriously, thank you to every one of you for reading, offering support, or letting me know how much it resonated.
I’ve been thinking about how much of my cooking, and consequently Niknack, has become about having something to share. Five categories. Five recipes. A routine to follow and document.
But when I think about what first made me fall in love with cooking, it wasn’t any of that.
It was experimenting.
Making something because I wanted to. Trying it again because I thought I could make it better. Getting excited about something as simple as a tablespoon of brown sugar and a microwave.
That’s the kind of energy I want to bring back into my kitchen.
Not every recipe needs to serve a purpose beyond tasting good.
Sometimes one recipe is plenty.
And this week, that recipe is apple crisp.
October is practically begging for it. Half of my friends went apple picking yesterday, time is of the essence.
I’m genuinely craving warm apples, cinnamon, buttery oats, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into every little crevice.
So I’m bringing it back to where it all started.
One apple. One serving. A few minutes in the microwave.
And a whole lot of nostalgia.
This Week’s Snack: Single-Serve Apple Crisp
A tribute to my first kitchen obsession. Warm cinnamon apples topped with buttery oats, made in the microwave in just a few minutes.
Ingredients
For the apples:
1 medium apple, cored and diced
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Vanilla extract - measured with your heart
Pinch of salt
For the topping:
2 tbsp old-fashioned oats
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour or oat flour
1 tsp softened butter
Pinch of cinnamon
Directions
Add the diced apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt to a microwave-safe mug or small bowl. Toss to coat.
Microwave for 60–90 seconds, until the apples begin to soften.
Meanwhile, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Mix until crumbly.
Sprinkle the oat topping over the apples and microwave for another 45–75 seconds, until the apples are tender. Cooking times will vary depending on your microwave and apple size.
Let cool for a minute or two before digging in. Top with vanilla ice cream, Greek yogurt, or a drizzle of nut butter if you’d like.
Niknack Tip: Microwave apple crisp has a softer, chewier topping than an oven-baked version. If you’re after that golden, crunchy topping, toast the oat mixture in a skillet before adding it to your apples.
I don’t know if 14-year-old me would have believed that the microwave apple crisp she made every afternoon would eventually become a story in a newsletter she writes every Sunday.
But I think she’d be pretty excited that we’re still experimenting in the kitchen.
And I hope I never lose that part of myself.
The part that wants to try something new just to see what happens. That doesn’t mind a burnt batch or two. That finds joy in making something with my own two hands.
Because sometimes the best recipes aren’t the most impressive ones.
They’re the ones that bring you home.
Thanks for reading this weeks SubSnack <3
Until next time,
Niknack
