Cranberry Apple Crisp

This cranberry apple crisp is an easy dessert you’ll make all season long. With a sweet-tart filling and a crisp, buttery topping, It takes just a few minutes to throw together. Top yours with vanilla ice cream for an irresistible treat! 

New favorite dessert alert! My obsession with cranberries continues with this swoon-worthy apple cranberry crisp.

It’s so packed with fruit you could almost pretend it’s healthy. . .and therefore appropriate for breakfast. (Yes, I’m able to justify eating dessert literally any time of day.)

The best part of this whole recipe, though, is that it’ll make your kitchen smell like the holidays. Apples, cranberries, cloves, and cinnamon–it’s the holidays through and through!

How to make your crisp

Start with the topping:

• Combine all topping ingredients EXCEPT butter in the bowl of a food processor
• Pulse a few times to chop
• Scatter chunks of butter in the bowl
• Pulse again; the topping is done when the mixture is combined but still chunky

Refrigerate the topping while you make the filling

• Stir together brown sugar, lemon juice, and spices
• Stir in sliced apples and coarsely chopped cranberries
• Pour into a baking dish
• Evenly top with the refrigerated topping

You’ll bake your crisp for about 30 minutes. Let it cool a bit, then serve! Huge scoops of vanilla ice cream are optional but highly recommended.

Recipe notes and tips

• You’ll need 3 or 4 apples (depending on size) to get 4 1/2 cups of sliced apple.
• I used Granny Smith apples for this recipe but any good baking apple (such as Braeburn, Jonagold, or Honeycrisp) is fine.
• I peeled my apples but you can leave the peel on if you like.
• Cut your apples into 1/4-inch (or a little thinner) slices to ensure they soften enough while in the oven.
• Taste your apples before making the filling. If they’re really sour you can add a little more sugar to the filling.
• If you use frozen cranberries, don’t defrost them before mixing with the apples.
• Adding ground cloves in the filling is optional but I the combination of cranberry and clove is delicious.
• You can substitute nutmeg for the cloves if you prefer, or just omit the cloves entirely.
• I always set fruit crisps on a large baking sheet to catch any juices that spill over and save me from having to clean my oven.
• If your crisp starts to brown more on top than you want, tent some foil over the top in the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.

How to store your crisp

This crisp is best eaten the day it’s made so the topping stays crispy. But if you have leftover crisp you can store it, loosely covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I actually really like it cold but you can definitely heat servings in the microwave if you prefer.

What is the different between a crisp and a crumble?

Crumbles and crisps are both made with fruit, but the toppings are a little different.

Traditionally, crumbles are topped with a streusel (or “crumb”) topping while crisps are topped with a combination of butter, oats, sugar, and (sometimes) nuts.

The oats get crispy while baking, hence the name “crisp.” A crumble topping stays softer.

You’ll often see recipes called crumbles that have oats and/or nuts in the topping, but traditionally a crumble wouldn’t contain either of those ingredients.

A few more recipes you might like
Caramel Apple Crumble
Nantucket Cranberry Pie
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Apple Blueberry Crisp

If you make this cranberry apple crisp, be sure to leave me a comment and a rating below–let me know what you think!  Post a pic over on Instagram too.  Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!

5 from 2 votes

Print

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

Cranberry apple crisp is an easy dessert with a sweet-tart filling and a crisp, buttery topping. It's delicious for the holidays!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 9

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

Topping

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter

Filling

• 2 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves optional
• 4 1/2 cups sliced peeled apples*
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries coarsely chopped

Instructions

Topping

1. Combine all the topping ingredients EXCEPT BUTTER in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to chop.
2. Cut the butter into 12 small chunks and scatter over the other ingredients in the bowl. Pulse the mixture 10 to 15 times, until it’s combined but still pretty chunky.
3. Refrigerate the topping while you make the filling.
4. (If you don’t have a food processor you can use quick cooking oats and chop your nuts finely by hand. Stir all the ingredients EXCEPT butter in a bowl, then use your fingers to cut in the cold butter until crumbly.)

Filling

1. Preheat the oven 400 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Stir together the brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and spices in a large bowl. Add the apples and cranberries and stir until the apples are evenly coated with the sugar.
3. Spread the filling into an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the refrigerated topping.
4. Set on a large baking sheet to catch any juices that might spill over. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the topping is browned and the juices are bubbling a bit around the edge of the dish.
5. Cool at least 20 minutes to let the juices collect, then serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• *You’ll need 3 or 4 apples to get 4 1/2 cups. I like Granny Smith and/or Braeburn apples for this recipe but any good baking apple is fine. Cut them into 1/4-inch (or a little thinner) slices to ensure they soften enough while in the oven.
• You can leave the peel on your apples if you prefer.
• If your apples are really sour you can add a little more sugar to the filling.
• If you use frozen cranberries, don’t defrost them before mixing with the apples.
• Adding ground cloves in the filling is optional but I love the combination of cranberries and cloves.
• If your crisp starts to brown more on top than you want, tent some foil over the top in the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.
• Store uneaten crisp loosely covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.