This easy cranberry apple crumble takes the work out of pie by removing the crust but none of the flavor.
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Anybody else want to just call this crapple crumble or is that just me? But for real, apple plus cranberries (plus cinnamon and brown sugar) make an amazing fall dessert. The cranberries give it a gorgeous pink color and just enough pucker to be interesting. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or a healthy scoop of ice cream and you’re good to go!
Peeling Apples
Are you on team potato peeler or team paring knife for peeling apples? I personally am on team paring knife. My grandma tells me I waste a lot of apple that way. I tell her that I keep all of MY skin so it feels like a win. Really either one works great, so do what is easier for you.
While I’m peeling my apples for pie or crumble, I like to put them in a bowl of cold water with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. It keeps them from turning brown while I peel.
The Joy Of A Crumble
Sooo…I kind of a little bit hate to make pie crust. I know. I bake all the time and I just find it infuriating. So when I found out that crumbles were just baking the fruit with some sugar and spices in a pan, I jumped on that bandwagon with reckless abandon.
Do I still love pie? Yes, of course. Will I still make it if the occasion calls for it? Absolutely! Will I make crumble whenever possible because it makes something that used to take multiple hours take about 15 minutes of active work? Yes. Because I am always down for a dessert that can be whipped up on a weeknight and can make my house smell amazing while I vacuum or do laundry or do nothing at all.
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Yes! I did and it turned out wonderfully!
Where I live, you can pretty much only buy cranberries during November and December. So I like to buy a few bags and tuck them away in the freezer for future baking. They freeze like a dream.
To freeze cranberries: I wash them, allow them to dry, spread them out on a cookie sheet, single layer, freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then place in a freezer safe container or bag, throw back into the freezer and you’ve got cranberries whenever you need them.
Cranberry Apple Crumble
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 medium apples about 1 1/2 pounds
- 1 12 ounce bag cranberries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Crumble Top
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened 12 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
To Make The Filling:
- Peel and slice apples into 1/2 thick pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl and add lemon juice to the bowl.
- Add in cranberries.
- Add in brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Allow mixture to sit for 20 minutes to juice the apples.
- Add in the cornstarch and stir to combine.
- Place mixture in a 9×9 cake pan. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
To Make The Crumble Top:
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, oats, and pecans.
- One tablespoon at a time, mix in softened butter. It's helpful to use a fork or your clean hands to mix everything together. You want the butter to coat the rest of the ingredients. It is thoroughly mixed when the mixture is in pea sized "crumbles"
- Sprinkle crumble over fruit mixture, covering it completely.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Place a cookie sheet under your pan to catch drips in case the crumble boils over. You know it's done when you stab an apple and it's soft all the way through. If your top starts to get too dark before the apples are done, cover with aluminum foil
- Allow to cool completely and enjoy!
Looking for other easy apple recipes? Try this super easy apple tart or these adorable apple hand pies!
Happy Baking!
Did you make this recipe? Tag me @bakincareofbusiness on Instagram so I can see what you made!
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