Cranberry Apple Crisp Oats (Printable)
Warm tart cranberries and sweet apples topped with a golden, buttery oat crumble.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fruit Filling
01 - 3 large apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
03 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
04 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
→ Oat Topping
08 - 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
09 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
10 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
13 - 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
# How-to Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square or round baking dish.
02 - In a large bowl, combine sliced apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Toss to coat evenly. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly.
03 - In a separate bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add cold butter cubes and cut in with a pastry cutter or fingers until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
04 - Evenly sprinkle the oat topping over the fruit filling. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling.
05 - Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, optionally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
# Expert Pointers:
01 -
- The balance of tart cranberries against sweet apples feels like a secret only you know about
- That golden, buttery oat topping is the part everyone asks you to make again
- It's elegant enough for guests but easy enough that you can throw it together on a Tuesday
02 -
- Cold butter is everything. If your butter softens too much while you're working it into the crumble, pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes
- The fruit will look loose when you first mix it, but it firms up beautifully as it bakes and the apples release their juices
- Don't skip the lemon juice, even if you think you don't like lemon. It's the secret that makes people stop mid-bite and ask what you did differently
03 -
- If your apples are very large, slice them a bit thinner so they cook through at the same rate as the cranberries
- Don't skip tossing the fruit with the sugar and flour mixture. This is what helps create that beautiful jammy filling that bubbles up around the edges
- For the crumble, use a pastry cutter if you have one, but your fingers work just as well and honestly give you better control