Apple Cranberry Crisp

This apple cranberry crisp is the best if you love fall apple desserts! It’s made from apples, fall spices, and an oatmeal crisp topping with a surprise ingredient. Your family will love this cranberry apple crisp with a drizzle of cream or scoop of vanilla.

Many people think autumn is pumpkin season, but I automatically envision apples. Fall apple desserts are my favorite. I love them in simple apple tarts for Halloween, fancy apple frangipane tarts, and a cozy Apple Brown Betty.

This cranberry apple crisp is one of the simplest fall apple recipes because it uses everyday ingredients, with no special equipment and it’s ready to bake in about 20 minutes.

Why this recipe works:

• You can use any type of apples you like.
• Dried cranberries add a chewy, tart bite to this fall apple recipe.
• It’s got just the right balance of sweet and tart fruit, to gooey filling and crunchy topping.
• The apple crisp topping with oats and cheddar cheese combine sweet and savory for an irresistible combination.
• It’s perfect for a casual family dinner or can be dressed up for company.

Ingredients:

• Apples – I used a combination of tart and sweet apples including Gala and Granny Smith apples, but they also work with Fujis, Honeycrisp, Braeburn and other cooking apples. I recommend peeling your apples, because the skins can be too tough and chewy — and that’s not what we want in this old-fashioned apple dessert.
• Lemon – a little lemon juice will prevent the apples from oxidizing and the zest adds bright citrusy notes to the apple cranberry crisp.
• Light Brown Sugar– contains molasses, which gives the sugar its brown color. It also imparts a warmer, deeper, more caramel flavor, which is why I use it here. You can use dark brown sugar as well.
• Cinnamon – You can’t have a fall apple dessert without spices and cinnamon is a must.
• Nutmeg – complements the cinnamon flavor and adds a sweet, nutty holiday vibe to the dish.
• Dried Cranberries – I love how sweet-tart flavor of this dried fruit, and I find that they plump when cooked with the apples to create chewy little bits in every bite.
• Unsalted Butter – The butter makes the cheddar oatmeal crisp crunchy and golden.
• All Purpose Flour – creates the crumble texture in this apple cranberry dessert.
• Rolled Oats – are more sturdy than quick-cooking oats and add a crunchy-chewy, toothsome bite to the apple cranberry crisp. If you only have instant oatmeal, it’s okay to substitute.
• Cheddar Cheese is the surprise ingredient, but it shouldn’t be (a surprise, I mean). Apples and cheese are a natural pairing, and combined with the cinnamon oatmeal crisp topping, it adds the perfect amount of salt, so you don’t need to add extra.
• Pecans – These nuts have a natural maple flavor, especially when toasted, enhancing the crunch factor in the crumble topping.

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the apples, dried cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss until the fruit is evenly coated.
2. Transfer the apple mixture to a shallow baking dish.
3. Combine the cubes of butter, flour, brown sugar and oatmeal in a bowl.
4. Toss the ingredients together to combine with your clean hands, then use your fingers to press the butter into the dry ingredients until it’s sandy and crumbly.
5. Add the cheddar cheese and chopped pecans to the flour mixture and continue to work the ingredients with your hands until evenly combined.
6. Sprinkle the streusel mixture generously over the apples.
7. Bake the apple cranberry crisp until the apples are bubbly, and the cheddar oatmeal streusel is golden.

Variations and Swaps:

• If you like the extra tart flavor of fresh tart cranberries, swap the ½ cup of dried for 1 cup of fresh. Be sure to combine the cranberries evenly in the apple crisp so that you’re getting fruit in each bite.
• Swap the pecans for walnuts or sliced almonds in the crumble topping.
• Swap the lemon for the zest and juice of an orange. You’ll need about one teaspoon of orange zest and 2-3 teaspoons of liquid. This will soften the citrus flavor and balance against the tartness of the cranberries if you want that.
• Make it gluten-free using gluten-free flour and certified gluten-free oatmeal in the oat streusel.
• Make it vegan and dairy-free by using vegan butter or coconut oil in place of regular butter.

Make ahead tips:

• To make this fall apple recipe ahead of time, assemble the fruit and oatmeal streusel topping in a baking dish, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Remove from the refrigerator as you’re heating up the oven to bake (to take the chill off). Bake uncovered until golden and bubbly.
• To make individual fall apple desserts, fill ½ to ¾ cup porcelain ramekins with the apple cranberry filling and top with a generous handful of streusel. Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until done. I do this when we’re having company — and serve it with some fresh whipped cream.

Storage and reheating tips:

• Cover with plastic wrap or foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• To reheat, remove the apple cranberry crisp from the refrigerator as you preheat the oven to 350°F. Warm the dessert for 10-15 minutes uncovered in the hot oven.

What goes with apple cranberry crumble?

Honestly, I like this baked apple crisp and the easy crumble topping all by itself, however, my family isn’t satisfied until it gets some type of embellishment.

• My daughter is partial to a scoop of vanilla ice cream or this praline and cream ice cream.
• A drizzle of cold cream over the homemade apple crisp is one of my favorites (shown here).
• An extra drizzle of maple syrup or honey enhances the sweetness.
• If you’re serving for company — you can really dress it up with a rum-spiked whipped cream by using  a hand mixer to whipping heavy whipping cream to just before soft peaks, adding a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar and whipping to soft peaks, then adding a tablespoon of dark rum and continuing to whip until soft and pillowy.

This fall apple dessert will make your eyes roll back in your head in sweet satisfaction!

More fall apple recipes you might like:

• Cinnamon Walnut Apple Bars
• Apple Cinnamon Cake (a.k.a. Harvest Cake)
• Super Moist Apple Walnut Cake
• Apple Cranberry Pie
• Moist Applesauce Muffins

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