Tart cranberries, fresh apples, a hint of cinnamon, brown sugary sweetness and a golden oat topping come together to make this fabulous cranberry apple crisp. It is the perfect fall dessert and would be a fun addition to your Thanksgiving dessert spread too.

Dessert plate filled with cranberry apple crisp topped with golden oat topping and a melty scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Everything about this delicious cranberry apple crisp screams fall. It is the perfect not too sweet dessert that brings together two of autumn’s most iconic fruits.

Of course the oatmeal crisp topping makes it amazing and a scoop of vanilla ice cream doesn’t hurt. You are to want to make it over and over all autumn long.

I am sure we have all had a good apple crisp. It is one of those iconic recipes that everyone should have in their recipe box.

About the Recipe

I shared my great grandma’s recipe for apple crisp a few years back. It is a fabulously healthy version with no added sugar.

No sweet tooth is going to mind having more than one apple crisp recipe in their box though, so I thought it would be fun to add cranberries to the mix. The apples and cranberries with a hint of cinnamon is such a fabulous combination.

apple and cranberries in baking dish with brown sugar and cinnamon for making crisp.

cranberries and apples tossed with brown sugar, cinnamon ready to bake into a crisp

Of course with a pound of cranberries mixed in, it needed some sugar. Those babies are tart! I opted for the warmth and ease of brown sugar this time.

What kind of cranberries should I use?

Fresh or frozen cranberries work well for this recipe. If you are using frozen, you’ll want to make sure they are defrosted first.

That will help ensure most of them pop during cooking allowing the flavors to meld. If they stay whole you might be in for a few tart shocks to the taste buds along the way!

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What kind of apples should I use?

Because the cranberries are so tart, I would recommend a sweeter apple that is still good for baking. Though you can use whatever you have and like.

If you do use a more tart apple like a granny smith, you may want to consider compensating with more brown sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.

bowl of oat topping for cranberry apple crisp.

Serving spoon filled with cranberry apple crisp with golden oat topping being lifted out of the baking pan.

I always like using Jonathan apples or Jonagolds for baking as well. A scrumptious honey crisp or gala would be yummy as well.

Pink ladies, Braeburns and envy apples are all delicious baking choices as well. It’s really hard to go wrong, just some will end up mushier than others.

Feel free to peel the apples if you would like. Or you can leave the peel on if you don’t mind it.

Small plate with serving of cranberry apple crisp with pan and antique berry spoon in the background.

serving of crimson cranberry apple crisp with golden oat topping and scoop of vanilla ice cream

It would add a little extra nutritional value to your final dish and save a few minutes of prep time. Either way the results are going to be scrumptious.

Serving Suggestions

A scoop on its own is a fabulous treat, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it even better!
Don’t have ice cream? Try a dollop of whipped cream, or maple whipped cream or cream cheese whipped cream instead!
Want an excuse to have some leftover apple cranberry crisp for breakfast? No problem! It is fruit and oatmeal after all. But a dollop of yogurt makes it even more acceptable.

While this crisp would be fabulous all fall long, I think it would make an extra special addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table. Can’t you just imagine it now?

5 from 8 ratings

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

Tart cranberries, fresh apples, a hint of cinnamon, brown sugary sweetness and a golden oat topping come together to make this fabulous cranberry apple crisp. It is the perfect fall dessert.

Prep: 15

Cook: 55

Total: 1 10

Ingredients

Fruit Layer

▢ 3½ cups baking apples diced
▢ 1 pound cranberries fresh or defrosted
▢ 1 cup light brown sugar packed
▢ 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Crisp Topping

▢ 2 cups rolled oats
▢ ½ cup all purpose flour
▢ ½ cup light brown sugar packed
▢ ½ cup butter melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9×13″ baking dish.
Clean, core, peel and dice your apples in 1/4″ to 1/2″ cubes.
3½ cups baking apples
Put apples, cranberries, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in greased baking dish and toss them all together.
1 pound cranberries, 1 cup light brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
In a medium bowl, toss together oats, flour, brown sugar and melted butter until well combined. Sprinkle over fruit in baking dish.
2 cups rolled oats, ½ cup all purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup butter
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until fruit juice is bubbling and crisp topping is golden brown.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

If you are eating your crisp the same day you make it, it does not need to be refrigerated. For longer storage, cover the crisp with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 5 days.