All creatives know that inspiration often comes to you when you least expect it and when it does, you run with it. Writing is no exception to this rule and my recent recipe development session saw me dust out my years old Apple Crisp recipe and update it for two people using the cast iron skillet.

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you know that I love a good seasoned cast ironed skillet nearly as much as I love the slow cooker. But instead of making this post about all the reasons why you need to have several cast irons skillets in your kitchen repertoire, I’ll rave about the ProYo Vanilla Bean High Protein Frozen Yogurt that was the real source of inspiration for this recipe revisit.

ProYo makes an amazing ice cream substitute and when it’s whipped using an electric mixer like I did for this recipe, the end result may become even more divine than your typical ala mode. Thank you ProYo for inspiring not one but two recipes in less than 24 hours.

Cast Iron Apple Crisp w/ Whipped ProYo Vanilla Bean High Protein Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

• 3 Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
  1/3 cup water
  2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup cane sugar
  1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  2 teaspoons cinnamon

oat crumb topping

¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup gluten-free oats or granola
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons cane sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons Earth Balance, cold

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Remove two (4oz) tubes of ProYo Vanilla Bean and as to a small bowl. Whip for 2-3 minutes using a hand mixer until fluffy. Add to freezer.
3. In a food processor, pulse all ingredients for crumb topping, and transfer to a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, add apples, water, lemon juice, lime juice, brown sugar, cane sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix ingredients well.
5. Divide apple filling into a seasoned 6-8 inch cast iron skillet
6. Top filling with crumb topping, and place in oven for 20–25 minutes until top is golden and filling is bubbly.
7. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving à la mode.