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apple cranberry crisp in a bowl with a fork and a scoop of ice cream on top

Cranberry Apple Crisp

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
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
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.