Tart cranberries and sweet apples are baked inside a brown sugar and oat crisp for a perfect not-to-sweet cranberry apple crisp.
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Old fashioned apple crisp has long been a stand by recipe for me. One that works for any occasion and no one seems to turn down, especially if it is warm and I add vanilla ice cream.
Take your apple crisp, add a bag of cranberries, yes an entire bag. Because who wants just a half cup of leftover berries floating around their fridge? And there you have it, a perfect cranberry apple crisp.
Well, that’s almost all there is to it. I do like tart things, but the crisp does need some sugar mixed with the fruit to help those cranberries.
I am always curious, who peels their apples for crisp? I admit I do not anymore. They cook down nicely and I am good with skipping that step. No one in my family seems to notice that I have started doing that.
I know cranberries are only available fresh in the late fall and early winter time frame but finding ways to enjoy them year-round has been my personal mission. Lucky for everyone they freeze extremely easily.
And to make it even easier, there’s nothing special to it. Just toss the bag in your freezer. I have found that frozen and fresh are quite interchangeable. There isn’t a recipe I have written yet that you can’t swap fresh for frozen and vice versa.
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Not only is cranberry apple crisp delicious to eat I am in love with the bright red festive color of the berries contrasted by the white apple slices. To assemble your crisp toss the cranberries and apple slices with your sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In fruit crisps I don’t always use cornstarch, however, it does help with the cranberries. Cranberries have quite a bit of water in them, which comes out in the baking process so the cornstarch thickens the dessert nicely.
Apple Crisp with Cranberries
Apple, cranberries, and crisp toppings are on the list:
- cranberries
- apples
- sugar
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- kosher salt
- cornstarch
- old-fashioned oats
- all-purpose flour or brown rice flour
- light brown sugar
- butter
Apple Cranberry Crisp Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter. Place the cranberries and apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cornstarch. Stir to coat the fruit and set aside while assembling the topping.
- Stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter. Pour the fruit into the greased pan and sprinkle the oat mixture on top of the fruit.
- Bake for 24-28 minutes, until the crust has browned and the fruit mixture is bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Slightly chewy with a sweetly tart combination, cranberry oatmeal bars are full of cranberries and apples topped with brown sugar and oatmeal crumbs.
From the crunch of the sugar crust on the bottom to the juicy cranberries to the flaky cake layer on top; Nantucket Christmas Cranberry Pie is cranberry dessert heaven.
Tart cranberries, sweet buttery cake, and a fantastic texture all combined to make this an instant favorite every single time someone new tastes it.
Fresh cranberries and a hint of lemon are combined in this incredibly moist brown sugar streusel Cranberry Coffee Cake.
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen, about 3 cups
- 2 large apples, sliced thin, about 3 cups worth
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour*
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup butter, melted
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- 1 cup brown rice flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter. Place the cranberries and apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cornstarch. Stir to coat the fruit and set aside while assembling the topping.
- Stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter. Pour the fruit into the greased pan and sprinkle the oat mixture on top of the fruit.
- Bake for 24-28 minutes, until the crust has browned and the fruit mixture is bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Nutrition
Elaine Bahen says
Jan 1 2023 Just made this, so excited. My only complaint is it’s too tight, The cornstarch is much more than required, maybe a typo?
Mary Younkin says
oh man! I’m so sorry, Elaine. I just double-checked that recipe and it’s supposed to be 2 teaspoons! Thank you for your kind comment and for letting me know it didn’t look right. I appreciate it.
Linda says
So easy and so good. Will be making this recipe again.
Mary Younkin says
Love hearing that, Linda.
Tim W says
Excellent recipe. Finding good cranberry recipes that truly balance the tart and sweet correctly is quite challenging. Always takes tweaking. This recipes hits it perfect for our family’s palette.
Your recipes are consistently great! I also enjoy how enthusiastic you are in your descriptions. It adds to the excitement waiting to try it while it cooks.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes, Tim. Cranberries can be a challenging ingredient to work with, especially when baking; I’m happy that you found the cranberry apple crisp to be a hit. Enjoy, and happy baking!