My grandfather grew up eating this comforting warm dessert during hard times and it still hits the spot today. It costs almost nothing to make and requires only 4 ingredients you already have.

This slow cooker 4-ingredient apple brown betty is the kind of dessert my grandfather grew up on when money was tight but apples and stale bread were easy to come by. It’s humble, filling, and warm all the way through—exactly the sort of thing farm families in the Midwest would put together at the end of a long day, using what they already had in the pantry. You don’t need anything fancy here: just apples, bread crumbs, sugar, and a bit of butter. The slow cooker does the work, turning simple scraps into a soft, spoonable dessert with tender apples and a toasty, buttery top that still hits the spot today.

Serve this apple brown betty warm, straight from the slow cooker or scooped onto a simple white plate so you can see all those soft apples and golden crumbs. It’s lovely just as it is, but if you have a splash of cream or a spoonful of vanilla ice cream, that’s a nice touch. A hot cup of coffee or tea on the side fits its old-fashioned roots, and if you’re serving a bigger meal, this makes a cozy finish after a pot roast, meatloaf, or a big pot of soup.

Servings: 6

6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Prepare the apples: Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. You want them about 1/4-inch thick so they soften nicely in the slow cooker.

Grease the slow cooker: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with a bit of the melted butter or a swipe of whatever fat you have on hand. This helps keep the edges from sticking and encourages a little browning.

Mix the crumbs and sugar: In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and brown sugar until the sugar is evenly distributed. Pour in the melted butter and mix with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened and look like damp sand.

Layer the apples and crumbs: Spread about one-third of the sliced apples in an even layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle one-third of the buttery crumb mixture over the apples, covering them as evenly as you can. Repeat these layers two more times, ending with a generous layer of crumbs on top.

Cook on low: Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the apples are very tender and the crumb topping is a deep golden brown around the edges. The brown sugar will melt and bubble up, making the bottom sticky and the top toasty.

Rest and serve: Turn off the slow cooker and let the apple brown betty sit, covered, for about 10 to 15 minutes so the juices thicken slightly. Scoop warm spoonfuls onto plates, making sure to dig all the way down for those soft, syrupy apples and the buttery toasted crumbs on top.

If you have different kinds of apples on hand, mix them—tart and sweet together give a deeper flavor, just like we used to do with windfall apples from the yard. Day-old homemade bread makes especially good crumbs, but store-bought dry bread crumbs work fine; just avoid seasoned ones. If your crumbs are very fine, pack them a bit more lightly so the topping doesn’t get dense. For a slightly crisper top, prop the slow cooker lid open with a folded towel for the last 30 minutes to let some steam escape. You can also adjust the sweetness to taste: use 1/2 cup brown sugar for a less sweet dessert or up to 1 cup if your apples are very tart. If you happen to have a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, you can stir it into the crumb mixture, but the recipe is designed to stay true to its hard-times roots with just four basic ingredients. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave; add a teaspoon of water before warming if it seems dry. This same method works with pears in place of apples when that’s what you have on hand.