Apple, Pear and Cranberry Crisp
Author Notes: Last Thanksgiving, I wanted to make a quintessentially autumnal crisp, but was coming up short on the perfect combination of flavors and seasonal fruits - until someone suggested that I add cranberry. It was a lightbulb moment. The cranberry is a subtle, tart surprise and nicely contrasts with the pear and apple. Coarsely chopped walnuts, along with oats, add a toothsome texture to the topping. - theyearinfood - theyearinfood
Food52 Review: Adding cranberries to a classic fruit crisp is a brilliant way to make the flavors in this old-fashioned dessert really "pop". I might prefer one cup to two of cranberries, but that's just me. Walnuts in the topping are another nice touch. This makes an enormous amount of crisp, by the way, perfect for a potluck or buffet gathering. Thumbs up! - Lizthechef - A&M
Serves 8
For the filling
- 1.5 pounds crisp, tart apples, such as Pink Lady (about 5 apples)
- 1 pound ripe pears, such as Bartlett (about 3 pears)
- 2 cups unsweetened cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
For the topping
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 stick salted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Core the apples and pears and cut into chunks. (I have never peeled fruit for a crisp, but if you'd prefer to, go ahead!)
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the apples, pears and cranberries with the sugar, flour, lemon juice and spices. Pour fruit mixture into a large baking dish.
- In another bowl, combine all of the ingredients with the butter and work the mixture with your fingers until crumbly. Spoon the mixture over the fruit.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until the topping is a lovely golden brown and the fruits are bubbling through. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Non-Pie Thanksgiving Dessert
Tags: Christmas, Holidays, Thanksgiving


over 2 years ago maclover
This was delicious! I made it a few days ago for a friendsgiving dinner, then again with the extra fruit today. I used unsalted butter instead of salted and passed on the walnuts, and it still turned out great. Might try brown sugar for the crisp next time. I love that it makes my kitchen smell like the holidays.
over 2 years ago theyearinfood
Fantastic! I love using nuts in a crisp topping - glad to know that it still turned out great!
over 2 years ago Lizthechef
Your crisp was delicious - I added my photo but feel free to delete it...
over 2 years ago theyearinfood
I think it's great to see another photo of the crisp! So glad you enjoyed it Liz. (And I hear ya with regards to the cranberries - I guess I just have a fondness for their tart flavor!)
over 2 years ago SallyCan
Nice flavors, nice photo.
over 2 years ago theyearinfood
Thanks Sally!
over 2 years ago cheese1227
I love the concept of crisp in general and this sounds like a wonderful combination.
over 2 years ago theyearinfood
Thanks! Crisps are my favorite dessert.