Learn how to make the BEST Apple Cranberry Crisp! This delicious dessert is super easy to make, and you'll love the warm, spiced fruit flavor and crunchy oat topping. Perfect for serving during the holidays or any day of the week!
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Ginnie's Take
Crisps and crumbles are one of my go-to desserts. They're easy to make and super delicious, especially when they're prepared with seasonal fruit. In fall and early winter, I love pairing cranberries and apples. Their sweet-tart flavors taste so wonderful together! This yummy Cranberry Apple Crisp is truly one of the best ways to combine these two fruits. You're going to love this cozy dessert's warm, spicy flavor.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Amazing Flavor - This cozy dessert has a lovely warm, spiced fruit flavor and a crunchy oat topping. It's a little sweet from the apples and a little tart from the cranberries. So tasty!
- Easy to Make - This recipe is super simple to prepare. Just stir together the filling and the topping, layer them in a baking dish, then bake.
- Festive - The apples and cranberries make this dessert perfect for any fall or winter occasion! I especially love serving it during the holiday season for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
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Ingredients
You need just a few basic ingredients for this recipe:
- Apples - Any crisp apple can be used for this dessert. I used sweeter apples (cosmic crisp), and they paired great with the tart cranberries. Tart apples, like granny smith, will also work great though.
- Cranberries - You'll also need some fresh cranberries. Looking for them in stores from October to December.
- Spices - Cinnamon and ginger give the crisp a warm, cozy flavor.
- Sugar - The crisp is sweetened with brown sugar, which gives it a rich taste. I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar would also work.
- Lemon - A little fresh lemon juice brightens the other flavors.
- Cornstarch - The apples and cranberries release their juices as they bake. A little cornstarch helps create a nice sauce.
- Topping - The oat crisp topping is made with old fashioned rolled oats, all-purpose flour, walnuts, brown sugar, unsalted butter, and Kosher salt.
This recipe is naturally vegetarian, and it's super easy to make vegan, dairy free, nut free, and gluten free, too! Check out the Variations section below for tips.
You'll Also Need
You will need measuring cups and spoons, a large bowl to make the filling, and a small bowl to melt the butter. You'll also need a square baking dish to cook it. This ceramic baking dish is my favorite! It's beautiful enough to go straight from the oven to the table.
How to Make Cranberry Apple Crisp
The delicious Apple Crisp with Cranberries couldn't be easier to make! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's an overview of the steps:
- Make the cran apple filling. Add the sliced apples and cranberries to a large bowl, along with the sugar, spices, lemon juice, cornstarch, and pinch of salt. Mix well.
- Add filling to baking dish. Transfer the apple cranberry mixture to a buttered baking dish. Press gently on the filling to create an even layer.
- Stir topping together. Next, you'll whisk together the rolled oats, flour, nuts, sugar, and a pinch of salt for the topping.
- Sprinkle topping over filling. Spoon the oat topping over the fruit in an even layer.
- Drizzle butter over topping. Melt the butter, then use a spoon to drizzle it over the oat mixture. Tip: Try to cover as much of the topping with the melted butter as possible, but don't worry if you miss a few spots.
- Bake. Transfer the dessert to your oven, then bake it until the topping is browned and the fruit is hot and bubbly.
Wasn't that easy? And this Apple Cranberry Crisp doesn't just taste amazing, it will make your home smell wonderful, too!
Variations
Feel like experimenting a bit? Crisps are very forgiving desserts, and they're easy to customize! Here are a few ideas to try:
- Pears - Swap out the apples for pears, or use a combination of both fruits.
- Cranberries - When fresh cranberries are out of season, you can substitute ½ cup dried cranberries (craisins).
- Citrus - Replace the lemon juice with orange juice. For even more orange flavor, add orange zest to the filling, too.
- Nuts - Instead of walnuts, use pecans, almonds, pistachios, or other nuts in the topping.
- Nut Free - Feel free to skip the nuts, if you prefer.
- Without Oats - If you'd prefer to make this recipe without oats, use my crumble topping instead.
- Vegan - To make the recipe vegan, use plant based butter and vegan brown sugar.
- Dairy Free - For a dairy free option, choose plant based butter.
- Gluten Free - You can make this Apple Cranberry Bake gluten free by substituting a one-to-one GF flour or almond flour for the all-purpose flour. If you have an allergy, make sure to use GF old fashioned rolled oats and read all other labels carefully.
Serving Suggestions
While this cozy dessert can be served at room temperature or even cold, it's most delicious when eaten warm. And it's even tastier when topped with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream! I recommend warming leftovers gently in your microwave before serving.
Storage
Store leftover Cran Apple Crisp in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. If you're storing the dessert for longer, I'd recommend refrigerating it. The crisp will stay fresh for up to four days, however the topping will gradually soften. Eat any leftover within a day or two for the best texture.
Related Recipes
Looking for more crisp ideas? Try one of these delicious recipes next:
- This tasty Peach Crisp is a summer favorite!
- Love a classic fruit combo? Then you have to try this yummy Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp. And if you're truly a rhubarb fan, don't miss this Rhubarb Crumble recipe!
- This delightful Nectarine Crumble is a favorite with Hello Little Home readers.
- It's hard to beat this classic Berry Crumble! Customize with your fave fruit.
Craving more apple and cranberry desserts? You'll love my Caramel Apple Cheesecake Parfait, Cranberry Banana Bread, White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies, Walnut Cranberry Cookies, and this Cranberry Parfait, too!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Crumbles, Crisps, and Cobblers are similar baked fruit desserts, and their names are often used interchangeably. They have different toppings though. A crumble topping is made without oats, while a crisp topping contains oats. Cobblers, on the other hand, have a biscuit-like topping.
No, you do not need to refrigerate a crisp if you're planning to eat it within a day. However, I do recommend refrigerating this dessert if your home is very warm, or if you are not able to eat the dessert within 24 hours.
No, it is not necessary to peel apples when making a crisp, because their skin becomes tender when baked. However, you can peel them if you don't like the texture. Use a vegetable peeler to make the job quick and easy!
If you'd like to make this crisp without oats, simply substitute this Crumble Topping recipe for the oat topping.
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For Cran Apple Filling:
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 large apples, thinly sliced (about 4 generous cups)
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch Kosher salt
For Topping:
- ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts, such as pecans or almonds)
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- pinch kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Equipment
- 8 x 8-inch Baking Dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter an 8 x 8-inch baking dish; set aside.
Prepare Filling:
- Combine cranberries, apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Transfer apple-cranberry mixture to buttered baking dish, spreading in an even layer. Set aside.
Prepare Topping:
- Wipe out the large bowl, then add the oats, flour, walnuts, brown sugar, and salt. Use a whisk to combine everything.
- Sprinkle the oat mixture evenly over the fruit.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the melted butter over the oat topping.
Bake:
- Bake the crisp until the topping is browned and the fruit is bubbling, about 45 to 50 minutes.
- Let crisp cool for at least 30 minutes before eating. Serve plain or topped with ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
