Apple Cranberry Crisp
This Apple Cranberry Crisp recipe is just as nice for a weeknight as it is for the holidays. It’s far easier to make than apple pie but just as satisfying. In just 30 minutes, you’ll be enjoying this delicious dessert full of fresh apples and dried cranberries and crowned with a tasty oat and sugar topping.
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Winter, autumn, and I are not good friends. The fall and winter months just make me cold and uncomfortable. This time of year makes my joints hurt and my brain dull and sluggish. But mostly it makes me miss all the wonderful fresh fruits and veggies that are around in the summer and spring.
Still, there are delicious things to be enjoyed all year round. So while I trudge through my least favorite seasons, I’m trying to make the most of those things that are available.
Even in the very depths of winter, there are always apples. I think apples are some of the most consistently available produce. Plus, they’re at their best in the fall and keep well for a very long time.
I recently found some really pretty apples at the store and brought them home with me. I combined them with some dried cranberries and came up with this tasty Apple Cranberry Crisp. It’s so easy you can whip it up any night of the week for your hungry household.
- Easy enough for weeknights but elegant enough for a party.
- Kids love the familiar flavors.
- Great for holiday meals.
- Uses inexpensive, easy obtainable ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
- Cooking Apples (Any apple that doesn’t just turn to mush while cooking. Try Granny Smiths, Honeycrisps, or Golden Delicious in this recipe.)
- Sugar (Taste your apples and if they’re a bit tart, use the full amount of sugar; if they’re sweet, use less.)
- Oats (You want rolled or “old fashioned” breakfast oatmeal. Do not use instant or steel cut oats for this recipe.)
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Apple Cranberry Crisp
Let’s Go Step-by-Step
I always like to show you the photos and step-by-step instructions for my recipes to help you picture how to make them in your own kitchen. If you just want to print out a copy, you can skip to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the recipe card.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a square (8″x8″) baking dish with cooking spray. Place the cored, sliced apples and the cranberries in the dish and sprinkle with the lemon juice and sugar.
COOK’S TIP
Adjust the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of the apples.
Mix the Topping
In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and melted butter. Mix with a fork until well combined.
Sprinkle the topping over the apples and cranberries in the baking dish.
Bake the Crisp
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the apples are tender.
Recipe Tips
- The apples can be cut either into chunks or thin slices. Just make sure all your pieces are similar sizes so that they all cook in the same amount of time.
- Test for doneness with a fork or knife. You should feel little to no resistance from the apples if they’re done all the way through.
- Let the crisp rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve hot or warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or my favorite – just a drizzle of Half and Half.
FAQs
There are so many different kinds of warm fruit desserts, it’s hard to keep it all straight! The main difference is that crisps have oats in the topping and crumbles don’t. A crisp is hot fruit topped with a combination of oats, flour, butter, and sugar, sometimes nuts, too. A crumble is pretty much the same just without oats in its topping.
This recipe easily doubles or triples. Make sure to increase the size of your baking dish to accommodate a larger recipe.
To make your apple cranberry crisp ahead of time, go ahead and add everything to the baking dish except the topping. Make the topping and put it in a separate container. Store both in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake the crisp, remove both the fruit and topping from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then top your crisp and bake it!
Store any leftovers, well covered, in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in the oven or microwave. Note that the topping won’t be as crispy after reheating.
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Recipe
Apple-Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 3-4 cooking apples cored and sliced
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar depending on tartness of apples may use up to 4 tablespoons
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Coat a square baking dish with cooking spray. Place the apples and cranberries in the dish and sprinkle with the lemon juice and sugar. Adjust the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of the apples.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and melted butter. Mix with a fork until well combined. Sprinkle over apples.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the apples are tender.
- Serve hot or warm with ice cream, whipped cream, or Half and Half.
Notes
- Choose cooking apples such as Granny Smiths, Honeycrisps, or Golden Delicious in this recipe.
- Taste your apples and if they’re a bit tart, use the full amount of sugar; if they’re sweet, use less.
- You’ll need rolled or “old fashioned” breakfast oats. Do not use instant or steel cut oats for this recipe.
- The apples can be cut either into chunks or thin slices. Just make sure all your pieces are similar sizes so that they all cook in the same amount of time.
- Test for doneness with a fork or knife. You should feel little to no resistance from the apples if they’re done all the way through.
- Let the crisp rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve hot or warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of cream.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on March 8, 2013. It has been updated with additional information.
When do you add the cranberries? They are not in the instruction section. Thanks
Add them with the sliced apples. It was in the step-by-step photos and detailed instructions but I’d inadvertently left it out of the recipe card. I’ve corrected that.
Thanks for the shout out! Love your crisp–pinned and stumbled!
Fruit crumbles are one of my favourite breakfasts, but I seldom make them, since the kids don’t like cooked fruit. I’d make this for myself, though. Thanks for sharing.
I, too, am so ready for spring. Bird chirping, sun shining, flowers blooming…sigh. This crumble looks wonderful, Lana!
I love crisps, crumbles, etc., etc. Warmed in the oven and topped with just a little ice cream or half and half … yum! Since it’s about 75 degrees here and sunny, winter seems to be on permanent vacation already!!
I love them, too, Nancy. This one was sort of my farewell to winter. And thank goodness it’s almost gone. I’m so tired of being cold!
I really am going to miss squash, cranberries, and other wintery fruits and vegetables!! This looks like a fabulous way to say goodbye to winter :)
Yes, we’ll have to wait a while for all those Fall goodies to come around again. But, we’ll have lovely fresh strawberries, asparagus, and the like to enjoy until then!
I have that baking dish too, but in black! love this recipe!
Oh, I bet the black is gorgeous!
Yum this looks delicious, I love apple crumble!
Me too, Rosie. And the cranberries add a lot of flavor as well.
Hey I have that same baking pan, so pretty isn’t it? I love this crumble Lana, would be amazing with ice cream!
I love that baking dish, too, Amanda. It also makes a pretty photo :-)
looks so yummy!