Easy Apple Cranberry Crisp Recipe | Lemons + Zest (2024)

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Cranberries are for so much more than the sauce! This Apple Cranberry Crisp is an easy, cozy dessert with sweet apples and tart cranberries. A hint of orange zest and spices give it the perfect fall flavor. Only about 15 minutes to prep and so simple!

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This recipe was originally published in November 2018 and updated November 2022.

Add cranberries to any dish and it is instantly a perfect holiday recipe, right? I mean, I agree!

When it comes to holiday desserts, I am all about anything with a buttery crumbly topping--this Apple Cranberry Crisp and my Pumpkin Pie Crumble are on repeat every year! They are my desserts of choice!

Why You Will Love this Apple Cranberry Crisp Recipe:

• It is super simple to prep. Chopping up the apples is as complex as this recipe gets. You don't even have to peel them if you don't want to. Use the baking dish to toss the fruit layer together--lots of ways to make an easy recipe even easier!
• Can be made ahead of time. While fresh from the oven is my favorite, you can easily make this apple cranberry crisp a day in advance. Pop it in the oven to warm it up before serving and you are set!
• Sweet apple and tart cranberries are the perfect pairing. Apple crisp is a classic dessert. Add some cranberries to it and the flavor just pops. A great holiday flavor!
• Cozy and delicious. That is what we love about crisp recipes! The spiced, cozy fruit topped with buttery oat goodness. It's a hug in a bowl!

Recipe Ingredients:

• apples: Crisp, firm apples are idea. Some great options include: Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala and more.
• cranberries: fresh is great if they are in season and easy to get a hold of. If you can't, frozen will work. Do not thaw them though before baking.
• orange juice and zest: I find this to be the best part of flavor enhancement to this recipe aside from the added cranberries. The orange zest and juice pair so well with the cranberries. It's a must in my opinion!
• sugar: you will need both brown and white sugar in this apple cranberry crisp recipe. In the fruit layer, white and brown sugar is used. The white sugar helps balance the tartness of the cranberries. There will still be a touch of tart in this recipe, but you can add another ¼ cup of sugar for sweeter cranberries if desired.
• corn starch: this is used to thicken the fruit layer. You can use flour or arrowroot powder instead if desired.
• vanilla: a touch of vanilla extract in the oat as well as the fruit layer.
• spices: keeping it simple with cinnamon and nutmeg. If you want to add a dash of ginger, cloves or allspice, any would be great in this dish as well!
• butter: salted or unsalted is fine. If you use salted, omit the salt in the crisp topping.
• oats: rolled oats are ideal but quick oats could be used in a pinch. The texture will be a bit different though.
• flour: all purpose flour is ideal. You can use a gluten free 1:1 all purpose baking flour if desired
• sea salt: just a touch if you are using unsalted butter in the crisp

Best Apples for this Crisp Recipe:

Crisp, firm apples that will hold their shape and not turn into mush are ideal for apple crisp recipes. Honeycrisp and Granny Smith are probably the most popular apples used in baking with apples.

Other options include: Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala and Braeburn. I am a personal fan of Fuji and always have them on hand so more than likely that is what I use.

How to make this Cranberry Apple Crisp:

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you can do part of it right in the baking dish. Grease the baking dish and then toss all of the ingredients for the fruit layer together and coat evenly.

Set this aside to prepare the oat topping. I like to allow the fruit to sit in the sugars for about 10 minutes or so if possible.

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the oat topping ingredients except the butter. Pour the melted butter over the oat mixture and stir or use a fork to combine until fully coated and crumbly. The mixture should be moist but not overly wet, and nice crumbles will form.

Spread the crisp mixture over top of the prepared apple and cranberry layer evenly to cover. Bake at 350°F for about 40-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the fruit layer is bubbling.

Cool for about 10 minutes or so before serving with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Storage Instructions:

You want to store this apple crisp recipe in the refrigerator in an air tight container. It will keep for about 4-5 days.

To freeze, I like to cover it with plastic wrap and foil or an air tight lid. Make sure the apple cranberry crisp has completely cooled before freezing. It will keep for about 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven for about 20 or so minutes at 350°F.

Other Dessert Recipes:

• Nutella Crumble Bars
• Easy Apple Dump Cake
• Strawberry Crumble
• Champagne Lemon Bundt Cake
• No Bake Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake
• Mixed Berry Oat Bars

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