Step 1

Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease an 8-inch baking dish with butter. In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to coat and then pour into the prepared baking dish.

Step 2

In the same bowl used for the apples, combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.

Step 3

Toss the grated butter in the flour mixture and mix with a fork. Stir in the boiling water, just until combined, leaving plenty of little lumps of butter.

Step 4

Drop the topping over the apples in spoonfuls. (I like to use my smallest cookie scoop to do this.) Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the topping.

Step 5

Bake until the crust is golden and a toothpick inserted into the crust comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with ice cream if desired.