My mother was one of eight kids. When she was born, there was no name on her birth certificate, just “girl” Abend. It seems things were so different these days. I can’t even imagine a baby being born without a name on the birth certificate. Nowadays, married adults not only find out the sex of a child before it is born, they hold reveal parties and plan accordingly.

Even if I was giving birth now, I would not like to find out the sex of the baby before it is born. I had the chance to, with both of my kids, but I chose not to. I liked the element of surprise. When I had my first son, I desperately wanted a girl the second time. By accident, the doctor revealed the sex to my husband. When my husband told me I was having another boy, I was disappointed for a split second, but this feeling did not last long, and now I can’t imagine my family any other way.

My husband had two sisters, though he fiercely wanted a brother. I have a brother who is much older (eleven years), as well as a sister, who is five years older. By the time I was six, my brother was in college so I did not see him much. Now that we are in the same stage of life, my brother and I are very close. Because I had grown up with my sister, I assumed I would have a daughter. It never dawned on me that I wouldn’t. I knew what girls liked, but boys? I was in the dark about what their needs were.

Fortunately, because I had my first son, I was a quick learner and loved every minute of raising the second boy. My husband was secretly thrilled that my older son would have a brother. I, too, was happy, and hoped they would grow up to be close. So, while I may have accidentally found out I was having a second son, I quickly understood what a blessing it was. Finding out would not have made any difference in how I raised him. Every child is different, and I loved raising my boys (err…men). Once they put that child in your arms, it is pure love, no matter what the sex.

Though my boys may be very different, they both love desserts with apples. So, when the Fall comes, I really enjoy going apple picking and finding apple desserts to serve them. This one is really special because it is so very close to actually having a caramel apple, (OMG –  my mouth is watering just thinking about it). This cake screams fall in every bite. The apples are dressed with savory goodies, like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. It is topped with oats, (my favorite!) and brown sugar, and is just the right amount of sweet. The pecans add a nice crunchy texture. It is then topped with more caramel sauce, which is heavenly, because let’s face it, you just can’t have too much caramel on anything.

This recipe is courtesy of New York Times Cooking and makes 8 to 10 servings of the most sweet and delicious fall dessert you will ever taste.

Ingredients for Skillet Caramel Apple Crisp:

FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE:

2 cups granulated sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE FILLING:

3 pounds tart, firm apples such as Mutsu, Jonathan or Honeycrisp, (about 6 medium apples)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of kosher salt

FOR THE TOPPING:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup chopped pecans (optional)
⅓ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), softened

Make the caramel sauce:

Add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water to a 3-quart saucepan and stir to combine.

Add the butter and set it over medium-high heat, but do not stir.

Cook, without stirring, until the butter and sugar have completely melted and started to bubble, 4 to 5 minutes.

After the mixture has begun to brown at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to carefully stir it occasionally until it is deep golden brown and beginning to smoke just slightly, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Do not walk away from the pan during this process as the caramel will go from perfectly golden to burned in moments.

When the mixture is deep golden, remove the pan from the heat, and carefully whisk in the heavy cream.

The mixture will expand and sputter before turning into a smooth sauce.

Add the vanilla and salt.

If the caramel is at all lumpy, return the pan to the stove on low heat and whisk until smooth.

You should have about 2 cups.

Carefully pour the caramel into a heat-safe container to cool.

Prepare the filling:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the center.

Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/2-inch slices, removing any bruised bits if necessary.

Combine the sliced apples, lemon juice, spices and salt in a large bowl, and stir to combine.

Drizzle 1/2 cup caramel sauce over the top and stir again.

Scrape the apples and all of their juices into a 9- or 10-inch oven-safe skillet.

Make the topping:

In the same bowl, combine the flour, oats, pecans, sugar and salt.

Stir until well combined, then add the butter and mash it into the dry ingredients with your fingers until crumbs form.

Pour the crumb topping evenly over the apples.

Bake the crisp until the topping is golden and the juices are bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes.

Serve warm with more warm caramel sauce and ice cream.

Store any remaining sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.

It can be rewarmed for later use in a saucepan over low heat.

It’s that simple!