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Apple cranberry crisp

Apple Cranberry Crisp

This apple cranberry crisp bakes tender cinnamon apples and tart jewel-red cranberries under a buttery oat pecan topping until golden and bubbling. It is the easiest Thanksgiving dessert that tastes like you worked all day — no pie crust, no fuss, just a warm scoop with vanilla ice cream.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 generous scoops
Calories 385 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups apples peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 6 medium Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples)
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  • Make the filling: in a large bowl, toss the sliced apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and lemon juice until the fruit is evenly coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
  • Make the topping: in a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir until clumps form, then fold in the chopped pecans.
  • Top the fruit: sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the filling, covering it edge to edge. Leave a few chunky clumps — they bake into the crunchiest bits.
  • Bake: bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the topping is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling thickly around the edges and the apples are tender when pierced with a knife.
  • Rest and serve: let the crisp rest for 15 minutes so the juices thicken. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Notes

Use firm apples that hold their shape. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Braeburn stay in slices after baking; soft apples like Red Delicious collapse into sauce.
Fresh or frozen cranberries both work. If using frozen, do not thaw them first — just add 5 extra minutes to the bake time.
Do not skip the rest. The filling looks loose straight from the oven but thickens into a jammy sauce as it cools for 15 minutes.
Make the topping chunky. Stir the melted butter in just until clumps form, and do not break them up — the clumps are the crunch.
Bake until it truly bubbles. A crisp that only looks golden on top can still have raw-tasting apples; wait for thick bubbles at the edges.