Desserts,  Recipes

Apple and Cranberry Crisp

Apple Cranberry Crisp
Apple Cranberry Crisp

This post will be short and sweet because I know we all (at least here in the US) are getting ready for the biggest foodie holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. I simply wanted to illustrate that substitution can be the backbone of any good cook’s repertoire. When you find a good basic recipe, you can switch out ingredients and easily create something new to fit the season.

Case in point; this Apple and Cranberry Crisp. All you need is to do is take my Strawberry and Nectarine Crisp recipe and replace the nectarines with 4 pounds of apples (I used Granny Smiths and Fujis), peeled and sliced. Then replace the strawberries with 3/4 of a cup of dried cranberries and follow the rest of the recipe. That’s it! You could use fresh cranberries if you want, but you may want to add a bit more sugar if you do so.

This crisp is an simple seasonal dessert, and was perfect at our last “Porkapalooza” Sunday dinner. It would also make a wonderful choice for the holidays besides the traditional pumpkin or pecan pie. The crisp can be done in advance; I assembled it in the morning, complete with topping, refrigerated it for the day, then took it out to bake in the late afternoon before dinner. It travels well too, if you need to bring something to a pot luck.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the pan, before the topping is put on.

19 Comments

  • Angrboda

    Ooooh interesting! We really liked the nectarine and strawberry one, so we’ll definitely be giving this one a go as well.

    (On another note, can I ask a question about recipes that has wine in them? I got a tip today to freeze left over bits of wine and when a recipe asked for wine just pop a couple of ‘wine cubes’ in it instead. Supposedly this wouldn’t affect the desired flavour. I thought it might be worth a go. What are your thoughts on this?)

    • formerchef

      That’s a really interesting question! I know in general alcohol does not freeze but my guess is that wine would because it’s primarily water. I usually keep a couple of already opened bottles corked in my fridge and they stay ok for quite a while. I Googled “Freezing Wine for Cooking” and most of what I found was positive so why not give it a try?

  • Denise Michaels - Adventurous Foodie

    This is the kind of information that really helps your readers not just know how to make a particular recipe – but even more importantly – to become a better cook. I look at the substitutions in your Apple Crisp recipe above. For me at least, its almost like mixing and matching pieces in your wardrobe. So many possibilities.

    I did that with my Banana Nut Bread recipe – showed a handful of different variations.

  • Cristina

    Wow that looks like a great dessert for the holidays. I really like the combination of using seasonal apples and cranberries. Beautiful crust topping!

    Beautiful blog and stunning food photography.

    • formerchef

      Tiffany-
      First, the crisp was not hot when I took the photo. Second, I set the shot up (lighting, test photos, etc) without anything on the crisp first. And third, no, it’s not mashed potatoes, but it’s not “ice cream” either. It’s frozen yogurt. 🙂

  • S Colledge

    Can you freeze this apple cranberry crisp, and if so, so you cook it first, then freeze it and thaw it before rewarming? Or do you make it, freeze it, and then cook it?

    • formerchef

      I’ve never tried freezing it. But if I were to, I think I would freeze it unbaked (unless I was trying to freeze leftovers). Then, before baking, I’d take it out, let it thaw a little and then bake it. I think it will taste much fresher that way, rather than baking, freezing, and then re-warming.

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