Apple Pecan Phyllo Crisp

Apple season means apple desserts. This recipe is a thin, but very flavorful Apple Pecan Phyllo Crisp. Apple slices, pecan, sugar and cinnamon between every sheet of phyllo dough.

When you like apple desserts, but your not a big eater, this recipe may be your thing to make. It consists of 6 layers of phyllo dough, a dough that is thinner than paper; every grocery store sells this product. Between the sheets of phyllo dough you will find super thin slices of apple, pecan, bread crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Sound delicious, don’t you think?

Phyllo dough is a very interesting dough. It is very very thin, feels very dry and is made from just a few ingredients. Flour, water, and a small amount of oil, white vinegar. Sometimes you see lemon juice added. I have never tried to make this dough myself, but I am sure there are people who did. For this Apple Pecan Phyllo Crisp, I adapted a recipe from Martha Stewart.

How to Make Apple Pecan Phyllo Crisp

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Thaw the phyllo dough by following instructions on the packaging. It takes a couple of hours. Keep it moist. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toast and chop pecans finely and mix with bread crumbs, sugar and cinnamon.
• Peel an apple (any one you like), cut it in half, take the core out and slice is super thin, making use of a mandoline slicer. You need the slices thinner than you can slice with a knife. Not all the slices will be perfect, because when you cut the apple in half, that cut will not be perfectly flat. Don’t worry. Keep the beautiful slices for the top and use the rest for in between the phyllo sheets.
• Melt butter.

When working with phyllo dough, be prepared to work fast as phyllo dough can quickly dry and tear. Have all the ingredients ready before you start putting the Apple Pecan Phyllo Crisp together. Unroll the phyllo sheets and lay them flat on a dry surface. Immediately cover with a damp towel.

• Place a sheet of phyllo dough on the parchment paper and brush with butter. Place the next sheet on top of the first and brush with butter again.
• Sprinkle with pecan-bread crumb mixture over the butter. Leave about 1/2 inch border.
• Cover with one layer of apple slices.
• Repeat this 3 more times.
• Cover with 6th sheet of phyllo dough, brush with butter (including border) and place last slices of apple on top. Brush fruit with butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Clearly the more sugar and/or cinnamon you sprinkle on top the sweeter,
• Bake Crisp in oven for approx. 30 minutes, rotate baking sheet half way through. When baked, the phyllo dough will be golden brown and apple will be soft. Keep an eye on this crisp, you don’t want the edges of the dough to burn.
• Cool slightly and cut in 6-8 pieces and serve.

The result is a dessert, or a breakfast if you like, or something during tea of coffee break. The edges are crisp and you can see the individual layers. I could image that phyllo dough with just a little butter and sugar would already be a nice treat.

The middle part is soft and crispy. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but I don’t know how else to describe it. Soft when you eat the fruity part, but there are the pecan crumbs and you have the crispy bottom.