Cranberries and walnuts zhoosh up traditional apple crisp into an OUTSTANDING and STRESS-FREE holiday dessert!

loose cranberries — Enjoy these seasonal vibrant red pearls supercharged with nutrients while available!

I do love cranberries – everything about them!
I love their bright red color and tart, vibrant taste. Knowing fresh cranberries are only available during this time of the year makes them even more special. Cranberries are considered a superfood due to their high nutrient and antioxidant content. These gems have a multitude of uses for holiday cooking. Besides cranberry sauce, they are also delicious in stuffing, muffins, cakes, drinks, and desserts. This recipe is a perfect way to polish off a partial bag. While the recipe calls for 1 cup, less or more is fine. If I have an open bag, I use ’em up.

Kitchen Hack

bag of cranberries — Frozen cranberries will last up to a year

Freeze a bag (or 2) of fresh cranberries for future use! Cranberries will last in the fridge for up to four weeks, covering Thanksgiving to Christmas. Freezing extends that to a full year. Fun fact: Truly fresh cranberries will bounce if you drop them. (Try it!)

This easy dessert is a twist on traditional apple crisp with the addition of festive cranberries. It’s also a larger recipe, easily serving eight. This crisp bakes in a 9×13 pan and is perfect for holiday gatherings. I love using a variety of apples in this crisp, including a couple of tart green (Granny Smith) apples with sweeter apples. While some apples are better for baking, I use whatever apples are in my pantry (which means the ones on sale), and no one has ever complained!

Apple basics

Peeling and slicing the apples is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. I use a vegetable peeler with a swivel blade and make a game by challenging myself to peel the entire apple with one stroke. Unlike potatoes or carrots, it’s easiest to peel apples in a circular motion. A small paring knife works too. Once you get the hang of it on your first apple, you can make quick work of the rest.

Peeled apples on a cutting board — Peel apples using a vegetable peeler or small paring knife in a circular motion

After peeling the apples, I cut off two cheeks and the remaining sides. The four sections all have a flat side making it easy to cut the sections into thin slices.

apple slices in small bowl and on cutting board — Slice pealed apples into 1/8 thick slices

Combine the apples in a large bowl with the cranberries, flour, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and spices. If you don’t have a lemon, an orange or lime is just as good. It’s the citrus punch that counts. The specific flavor isn’t all that important. I like using a fresh lemon, as the juice is so much better than bottled; however, it’s not that big of a deal, so don’t sweat it. Likewise, while the zest adds an extra depth of flavor, it’s not crucial. If your using bottled juice, add an additional teaspoon and omit the zest. Transfer the fruit mixture to a non-stick sprayed baking pan.

Sliced apples and cranberries in mixing bowl — Mix the apples, cranberries in a large bowl with spices, flour and lemon juice/zest

Easy Topping

The topping is simple. Using a fork, mash the butter into the remaining dry ingredients until you have a moist, crumbly consistency. You can use your hands instead if you enjoy a tactile experience. Kids, especially, enjoy doing this! It’s now time to invite the walnuts to join the party. Feel free to use chopped pecans, sliced almonds, or pistachios in place of the walnuts. Evenly distribute the moist crumbles over the top of the fruit.

Small plate of butter and mixing bowl of dry ingredients — Add butter (cut in chunks) to dry ingredients and mash with a fork until moist crumbles form

This last task brings up an interesting bit of trivia. Why is this dessert called a “crisp” and not a “crumble”? Have you ever wondered if those words have a different meaning or if they are interchangeable? Probably not – but I’m going to enlighten you anyway. The technical difference between a crisp and a crumble is the addition of oats and nuts. The streusel topping is less dense in a crisp, and the oats “crisp up” during baking. A traditional crumble doesn’t contain oats or nuts, and the topping tends to be denser and cakier. So there ya go!

baking pan with fruit mixture and image of pan with fruit and topping — Add the fruit to a 9×13 baking pan sprayed with non-stick. Top with the crumble mixture.

Bake until brown & bubbly

Bake the crisp in a preheated oven for about an hour. Allow the topping to get brown and the filling to bubble and ooze. If, after an hour, it’s not there yet, continue to bake in 10-minute increments. Depending on the type and amount of apple, it may take longer. No worries – let it bake until it reaches perfection! Serve with a puff or dollop of whipped topping or scoop of ice cream. Enjoy!