Photo: bookgrl, Flickr

It's Apple pickin' season. So what to do with the orchard's abundance of apples? Simplify the iconic apple pie by making an apple crisp -- it's the flavor of fall without the fuss.

We rounded up a few of the best apple crisp recipes spied elsewhere on the Web..

Good Morning America offers a recipe for slow-cooked apple crisp in a crock pot.

"America's Test Kitchen" Host Chris Kimball upgrades this fall fruit favorite.

This apple crisp via The New York Times is topped with tortoni and macaroons.

The Washington Post dishes up lunchbox-friendly apple-crisps -- the "s" makes all the difference in interpretation.

My mom and I gave up making apple pies long ago. For years we struggled with pie crusts that wouldn't maintain their integrity and dry apple filling until one Thanksgiving, I suggested that instead of a pie, we make a crisp. We haven't looked back since.

I find that crisps are far easier than pies because while you still have to do the same peeling and chopping to the apples, the topping is just oats, butter, sugar, nuts and spices. There's no rolling or crimping and so the process of making dessert is as much a joy as eating it is.

Here's the recipe I posted around Christmas last year. It's one of my favorite crisps and can be dressed up any way you like. I'm planning on adding cranberries to mine this year, for added tartness. You could also sub in half pears for the apples, use raisins for increased sweetness or pop in some frozen blueberries. It's up to you.

Apple Crisp

2 pounds firm, tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup oat flour (regular all-purpose works as well)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup toasted and chopped pecans
1 cup sugar, divided in half
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon
juice of half a lemon
cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ground clove

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the sliced apples into a bowl and mix with half the sugar, salt, the lemon zest and juice and some of the spices (we never measure spices, so I can't give you exacts. Go liberally and taste, adjusting as you go to your preference). Let sit for a moment so the juices start to come together.

In another bowl, cut flour and butter together. Add oats and flour and work until the butter is pea-sized and everything is well incorporated. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon and some nutmeg (freshly grated is preferable). Mix nuts into the topping.

Pour apples into a baking dish (my mother always greases her baking dish, but I never do) and scrape out all that juice. Carefully spread the topping out over the top and bake for 30-45 minutes. Check after 20 minutes to see how the nuts are doing. If they are getting too dark, lay a sheet of foil over the crisp to protect the nuts. You can tell it's done if the apples are really tender and the topping has taken on a nice, golden brown appearance.

For best results, serve with ice cream.

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• Recipe: Apple Ginger Crisp with Honey Mascarpone

Yesterday I mentioned that my mom and I worked in tandem to create an apple crisp for dessert on Christmas. We both compromised a little on our traditional method and I think our team work was a success, as I do believe that this was one of the best apple crisps every (although my dad pointed out that the best one is typically the one right in front of you, so I could be a little biased).

You see, I like to use mostly oats in my topping and she likes to use mostly flour. We came together and used about half oat flour and half pure rolled oats. The combination gave it a sense of pastry with the crunch and seeming-virtuousness of granola. I cut the pieces of apple a little smaller than my norm under her tutelege and I convinced her to season both the apples and the crumble topping. We both agreed to use toasted pecans in top instead of walnuts. What turned out was a dish that was tender and sweet without being overwhelming. It felt like it could be a really decadent breakfast item (and would be great with plain yogurt instead of the vanilla ice cream we ate it with). Check out our recipe after the jump.

Yesterday my mom and I made a big apple crisp and roasted off five huge sweet potatoes (which are destined for this dish). She is letting me have my way with the sweet potatoes, but the apple crisp was more of a tricky compromise. I've made a lot of crisps in my day and have developed a technique that I really like. However, that method relies on a food processor, which is a piece of equipment that my mother doesn't have. So we went back and forth, melding my mental recipe with the one she often follows from an old, favorite cookbook.

Later today I'll be chopping vegetables with my dad, making stuffing and getting the bird into the oven. I look forward to doing this kitchen dance with him every year, and happily, we've gotten to the point where we can anticipate each other in the kitchen without words. It's a joyful thing.

I hope that all you Slashfood readers out there are having equally nice days as I am, full of cooking, eating, drinking and laughing.

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is the leftovers. Especially the leftover desserts. When I was a kid, the morning after Thanksgiving and Christmas we'd be allowed to have a slice of pumpkin pie or a scoop of apple crisp for breakfast. My normally healthy eating mother permitted this sugary deviation from the norm by focusing on the fruit or squash used to make the dessert and not the butter and sugar.

To this day, I love to ladle out a big scoop of apple crisp into a soup bowl for breakfast after Thanksgiving. I'll nuke it for a minute, just to take the refrigerator chill away, and top it with a spoonful of plain yogurt. It's the very best version of fruit, granola and yogurt you've ever had and it makes it possible to eat leftovers for every single meal of the day.

If you're looking for a good recipe for apple crisp, check out the one I made on the last episode of Slashfood in the Kitchen.

Just when you were wondering what to do with all those apples you picked over the weekend, Scott and I come to your rescue with a couple of yummy suggestions. We trekked out to Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA to pick a bushel of apples (literally) and then brought them back to my kitchen. We made a pot of applesauce, a recipe so easy that you don't really need a recipe at all and a pan of juicy, oatmeal topped apple crisp. So watch, enjoy and go eat an apple.

If you missed it, make sure to check out the first episode of Slashfood in the Kitchen that premiered last week where we made brussels sprouts and a couscous salad. If that doesn't satisfy your cravings for food video starring Scott and me, make sure to head over to Fork You where it all started.

Peterson Farms, Inc. has come up with a ready to assemble meal kit for an apple crisp desert, sold in the refrigerated section of your grocer. The desert kit contains 1 pound of peeled and sliced apples, 8 ounces of crumb topping, and a 3.2 ounce spice packet. You just mix the apples and spices in a baking dish, cover with the crumb topping, and bake for six ample servings. I looked up the nutrition information and was impressed that the levels of sodium (120mg) and fat (9gm) for a 4.5 ounce serving were reasonable and it has no cholesterol and plenty of vitamin C (60%rda).

Peterson Farms claims that this is the first meal assembly kit that comes with peeled and sliced apples. This is the same company that provided the peeled and cut apples for McDonalds Apple Dippers. I haven't tasted this product but will try it. The two minute assembly time sure beats the 15 minutes I take once a week to prep my own from scratch. Of course with mine I use Honey-Crisp and Winesap apples grown locally and just picked fresh. But for those pressed for time and wanting a hot, fresh cooked desert, this may be a great product.