This is a great dessert for Thanksgiving – the cranberries make it festive and the red color throughout is visually appealing. Oh, and it tastes great. Forgot that nugget of information. I really love crisps and cobblers because they are so easy to make. One of my goals with this blog was to branch out and bake more difficult things…but that is proving to be tough for me. Plus it seems that most people who read this are busy and love to bake but with out too much crazy effort. I love the pecans in the topping – they add great crunch and texture that offsets the tartness of the cranberries and apples. This is just great served warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream and freshly whipped cream – yes…both! It is also great at room temperature and guess what…it is awesome cold! On Saturday night I cooked this for friends and they were wowed. Loved it. All those fruit loving folks. Someone placed the crisp in the refrigerator overnight (even though it does not need refrigeration) and when I found it there in the AM, I just had to take a spoonful and oh, cold heaven. Maybe a little little bit with yogurt in the AM would turn it into breakfast?? Hmmm…
cranberry apple crisp (adapted from Jane Close – an old friend of my mothers):
filling–
8-9 granny smith apples (peeled cut up into nice sized chunks)
2 1/2 cups whole fresh or frozen (not dried) cranberries
1/2 cup sugar (you can fiddle here – taste it after 1/3 cup for sweetness then add more as needed)
lemon juice from half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)
topping–
(I like a lot of crumb topping – if you don’t, just cut recipe in half and bake as directed)
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
2 sticks unsalted butter (cold and cut into small pea like pieces)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9×13 inch pan. Or split into two pans…or a pie plate. Or three pans. Really any shape will do.
In a large bowl, place the cut apples, cranberries, sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon. Mix and taste for sugar, lemon, and cinnamon and see if you want to add any more. Place the mixture in the prepared pan(s).
In another bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and salt. With your hands, firmly rub this mixture together. Squish the butter and slide and spread it around rubbing your hands together – try to incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients. Keep working with the mixture until it starts to come together a bit. You can also do this effortlessly in your stand mixer on low speed. Add the pecans.
Place the topping all over the fruit. You can mound this. I make a lot of topping – so if you don’t want it all, you can bake it on the side – on a sheet pan and save it for ice cream mix ins or just a ridiculously decadent treat.
Place in oven and bake for about 55-65 minutes. You will see the fruit bubbling and the topping will turn a nice golden color.
Enjoy-
