Apple Cranberry Crisp is a fall favorite with tart and sweet sliced apples and cranberries all topped off in cinnamon with a brown sugar crumble topping.
Apple Crisp is a classic Dessert Recipe that is always a favorite in our house. The baked apples and warm crumbly topping come together for the perfect Autumn treat. This Cranberry version adds an extra holiday twist and is perfect to serve after Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner.
APPLE CRANBERRY CRISP
There are always plenty of apple dishes around the holidays, from Mulled Apple Cider to Apple Pie. Something about tart apples and warm spices just screams festive. This delicious dessert is the perfect comfort food to indulge in throughout the holiday season.
This apple cranberry mixture is the perfect combination of sweet and sour. The apple juice and tart cranberries bake down so the fruit base has a wonderfully gooey, sweet consistency. Then they’re topped off in warm spices and sweet sugar for the ultimate warm and delicious dessert.
For the perfect dessert, top the crisp off with Vanilla Ice Cream. You could also make a Whipped Cream addition, or even use whipped coconut cream. The cold toppings will melt into the warm dessert and make the perfect creamy combination.
If you love this easy crisp recipe, there are plenty of others. For more crisp recipes be sure to try Peach Crisp, and Blueberry Crisp next. The great thing about these simple desserts is that you can experiment using different fruits for the fruit fillings and then top them off with the same brown sugar cinnamon crumble.
MORE FRUIT DESSERT RECIPES
Apple Crostata
Blueberry Crumb Bars
Apple Sheet Cake
TIPS FOR MAKING APPLE CRANBERRY CRISP
- Prep: Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. To get the baking sheet ready, prep it with cooking spray or grease. Then slice the apples into some small pieces.
- Fruit Mixture: Add the sliced apples, 2 cups cranberries, brown sugar, lemon, and cinnamon to a mixing bowl. Toss the ingredients well until the chopped apples and cranberries are coated in sugar and cinnamon. Transfer mixture from the bowl to the baking sheet. Use a wooden spoon to even out the fruit portion into an even layer. Then place fruit mixture to the side while you start the crumb topping.
- Crumb toppings: Add the brown sugar, flour, cold butter, and salt to the food processor. Pulse until it is in coarse crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor you can just use a pastry cutter to make the crumb quantity. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apple mixture.
- Cook Time: Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown and the apple slices are fork-tender. Remove from the oven and cool 10 minutes before serving up warm in small bowls.
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VARIATIONS ON APPLE CRANBERRY CRISP
- Fruit: The original recipe calls for fresh cranberries, but you can use fresh or frozen cranberries. If you use frozen cranberries be sure to let them thaw. If you want more sweet apples instead of the slightly sour Granny Smith try Harcourt, Honeycrisp, Gala Apples, or Golden Delicious. To add some citrus flavor toss in some fresh orange juice or orange zest. 2 tablespoons of orange juice will go nicely in the fruit mixture. You can also top it off with dried cranberries before serving.
- Sweeteners: Instead of brown sugar, you can try using pure maple syrup. It will be an equal parts exchange from brown sugar to maple syrup. For some extra sweetness, you can also sprinkle coarse granulated sugar over the top, or use coconut sugar in place of regular granulated sugar.
- Add-ins: For some extra flavoring add in vanilla extract, almond extract, or extra teaspoon cinnamon. You can also mix in some chopped pecans or chia seeds for a bit of crunch.
- Oatmeal Crisp Topping: To make the topping ingredients into a more filling mixture, stir in some rolled oats for a delicious and sweet topping with plenty of crunch. You could also mix in some flaxseed meal.
- Flour: To make your dish gluten-free use arrowroot powder, almond meal, or coconut flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
MORE DELICIOUS COMFORTING DESSERTS
Oatmeal Cookies
Brown Sugar Cookies
Apple Crisp Cookies
Pecan Pie
HOW TO STORE APPLE CRANBERRY CRISP
- Serve: You can keep this Apple Cranberry Fruit Crisp at room temperature for up to 2 days. Once it’s cooled, cover it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in a dry cool place.
- Store: Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, you can keep the crisp for up to a week.
- Freeze: To keep the wonderful recipe even longer put it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Ingredients
- 4 granny smith apples , peeled, cored, and sliced
- 2 cups fresh cranberries , (or frozen ones thawed)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crisp Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter , frozen and cubed
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray an 8x8 baking dish with baking spray.
- Add apples, cranberries, brown sugar, lemon, and cinnamon to a large bowl and toss well.
- Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
- In a small food processor add the brown sugar, flour, butter, and salt, and pulse until crumbly.
- Sprinkle mixture over the apples and cranberries.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
We used maple syrup to make the recipe, and it was completely delish! The perfect fall recipe or whenever you’re craving apples and cinnamon!
Thanks for the feedback, Erin. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This is one of my all time favorite desserts! Apples & cranberries are such an awesome combination!!
You really can’t go wrong with those two together. Thanks for the 5 stars.
This was very good! Easy to make and the flavor was perfect!!
Yay! I’m glad you decided to give it a try, Eden. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
We absolutely loved this! I used a combination of Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples . . . oh, so good!
Thanks for the feedback, Terry. I appreciate the 5 star rating.