Clifford Brown Betty

This recipe takes its name from trumpeter Clifford Brown, who made a huge impression on jazz in the 25 years he was alive. An influential musician and composer, three of his tunes — Sandu, Joy Spring and Daahoud — have become jazz standards. Similar to a cobbler or apple crisp, the Brown Betty is a traditional and irresistible dessert made from baked apples and sweetened crumbs. Make it from Jazz apples to add an extra jazzy twist!

  • 5 large Jazz apples, peeled, cored and sliced
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

  2. Spread the sliced apples evenly in the bottom of a 9”x9” baking dish and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the slices.

  3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, the sugars, the spices and salt. Add the cubes of cold butter and use a pastry blender to work the butter into the dry ingredients to create crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the apples evenly.

  4. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook until the topping is crisp, about 10-15 minutes.

  5. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.