📖 Instructions

1. Alright, let's get started! First things first, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). This is super important, so don't skip it! While the oven's heating, grease a 9-inch baking dish with butter. Trust me, you don't want the crisp to stick.
2. Now, let's tackle those apples! Peel, core, and slice 6 medium apples. I like using a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp for that perfect sweet-tart balance, but feel free to use whatever apples you have on hand. Toss the sliced apples in a large bowl with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. Make sure the apples are evenly coated with all that goodness.
3. Pour the apple mixture into your prepared baking dish. Spread it out evenly. And don't worry if it looks like a lot of apples – they'll cook down.
4. Time for the crumbly topping! In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of rolled oats (the old-fashioned kind!), 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure everything's mixed together.
5. Add 1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. This is where the magic happens, folks! It might take a minute, so be patient. The mixture should be nice and crumbly, with no large chunks of butter remaining.
6. Here comes the Irish cream! Pour 1/4 cup of Irish cream liqueur over the crumb mixture. Gently stir it in until the topping is slightly moistened. Don't overmix it – you still want those crumbs to be nice and distinct.
7. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the apple mixture in the baking dish. Make sure to cover all those apples!
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender. You might want to cover the crisp with foil halfway through baking to prevent the topping from browning too quickly. Just keep an eye on it! My oven runs a little hot, so I usually check after 25 minutes.
9. Remove the crisp from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. This will prevent you from burning your tongue! Serve warm, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, if desired. Oh yeah, and don't forget to brag about how amazing it is. You earned it!