The Ultimate Apple Cranberry Crumble: Your Go-To Recipe for a Cozy Autumn Dessert
As the crisp air of autumn descends and apple orchards burst with their abundant harvest, there’s truly no dessert more comforting and delightful than a homemade Apple Cranberry Crumble. This isn’t just any dessert; it’s a celebration of seasonal flavors, combining the crisp sweetness of apples with the bright, tangy punch of fresh cranberries, all nestled under a buttery, spiced crumble topping. Imagine the tantalizing aroma filling your kitchen – a promise of warmth, spice, and pure indulgence. And for that ultimate touch? A generous scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream melting gloriously over the warm fruit. It’s an experience that encapsulates the very essence of fall.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Adore This Apple Cranberry Crumble Recipe
- Choosing the Best Apples for Baking
- Understanding the Difference: Crumble vs. Crisp
- Essential Ingredients for this Apple Cranberry Crumble
- How to Bake the Perfect Apple Cranberry Crumble
- Serving and Storage Tips
- Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Why You’ll Adore This Apple Cranberry Crumble Recipe
This Apple Cranberry Crumble stands out from many other fruit desserts, including its close cousin, the apple crisp. While crisps often incorporate rolled oats for their characteristic crunchy topping, our crumble focuses on a rich, buttery topping made purely from all-purpose flour, a blend of sugars, and cold unsalted butter. The result is a more tender, cake-like texture that truly lets the fruit shine.
At first glance, the pairing of tart Granny Smith apples with even tarter fresh cranberries might seem daring. However, this combination is pure magic! The vibrant tartness of both fruits is beautifully mellowed and complemented by the brown sugar in the filling, creating a perfectly balanced sweet-tart flavor profile. A hint of cinnamon woven through the topping adds that quintessential autumnal warmth, making every bite simply irresistible.
Beyond its incredible taste, this recipe is remarkably simple. It calls for only a handful of main ingredients, most of which are likely already in your pantry. This makes it an incredibly easy and accessible dessert, even for novice bakers. Plus, it’s designed to be baked in a standard baking dish, making it ideal for a cozy family dinner, a festive brunch, or a holiday gathering. Feeding a crowd? No problem! This recipe is easily doubled or tripled and can be baked in a larger 13×9-inch or deeper dish, ensuring everyone gets a generous slice of this autumnal delight.
Choosing the Best Apples for Baking
Few things evoke the essence of autumn quite like the inviting scent of apples baking in your home. When combined with warming spices like cinnamon, any dish transforms into an utterly irresistible treat. For baking, the choice of apple variety is crucial for achieving the perfect texture and flavor balance. My personal go-to is the classic Granny Smith. These tart, firm green apples hold their shape beautifully during baking, preventing the crumble from becoming mushy, and their sharp flavor provides a wonderful contrast to the sweetness of the other ingredients and the cranberries.
While Granny Smiths are widely available and a reliable choice, there are other fantastic options for baking. According to Bon Appetit, excellent alternatives include Jonagold, Braeburn, Mutsu, Winesap, and Pink Lady apples. These varieties offer a good balance of tartness and sweetness, along with a firm texture that stands up well to heat. Avoiding overly sweet or soft apples is key, as they can break down too much and result in a bland, watery filling.
Apples are incredibly versatile, finding their way into both sweet and savory recipes. After peaches in the summer, apples are my favorite baked fruit. Beyond delicious desserts like this crumble and my easy apple pie puffs, they also shine in savory dishes such as my Potato Apple Gratin or light salads like the Apple Spinach White Bean Salad. For this Apple Cranberry Crumble, the tartness of the apples is particularly important as it harmonizes perfectly with the tartness of the cranberries, creating a dynamic and complex flavor profile.
This delightful recipe is inspired by a Cooking Light recipe found in a cookbook published in 2010, proving that some classics are truly timeless.
Understanding the Difference: Crumble vs. Crisp
It’s common to hear the terms “crumble” and “crisp” used interchangeably when referring to baked fruit desserts, but there’s a subtle yet distinct difference between the two. Both typically feature a sweet, fruit filling topped with a streusel-like mixture, and both are utterly delicious! However, their toppings set them apart.
- **Crumble:** A crumble topping is traditionally made from a mixture of flour, sugar (often a mix of granulated and brown sugar), and cold butter, rubbed together until coarse crumbs form. The texture of a crumble topping is generally softer and more cake-like than a crisp, with larger, irregular clumps that provide a tender, buttery contrast to the fruit. The absence of oats or nuts is the primary distinguishing factor.
- **Crisp:** A crisp topping, on the other hand, almost always includes rolled oats, and sometimes chopped nuts, in addition to flour, sugar, and butter. These additions give the topping a distinctively crispier, crunchier texture when baked.
While some culinary traditions and family recipes might blur these lines, the core distinction lies in the oat content. My Apple Cranberry Crumble recipe embraces the classic crumble definition, focusing on a rich, buttery, and slightly chunky flour-based topping that melts in your mouth alongside the tender fruit. Regardless of the name, these warm, baked fruit desserts are a timeless comfort food, perfect for any occasion.
Essential Ingredients for this Apple Cranberry Crumble
- **For the Crumble Topping:**
- 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- **For the Apple Cranberry Filling:**
- 6 medium-sized Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 2 cups of fresh cranberries
- 1/3 cup of fresh orange juice (adds a lovely citrus note and moisture)
- 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar (to balance the fruit’s tartness)
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch (to thicken the fruit juices)
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (for warmth and spice)
How to Bake the Perfect Apple Cranberry Crumble
Baking this delightful crumble is a straightforward process, broken down into a few simple steps. You’ll need a 2-3 quart baking dish and either a food processor for speed or a dough blender/pastry cutter for a more traditional approach.
First, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to ensure it’s ready for baking as soon as your crumble is assembled.
Prepare the Buttery Crumble Topping:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar. Using a dough blender or your fingertips, cut the chilled butter into the flour-sugar mixture. Work quickly to prevent the butter from melting. Continue until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with some pea-sized crumbs. If you prefer, a food processor can make this step even easier: simply add all topping ingredients to the food processor bowl and pulse a few times until the desired crumbly texture is achieved. Set this mixture aside.
Assemble the Apple Cranberry Filling:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith apples with the fresh cranberries. Pour in the fresh orange juice, then sprinkle in the 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, cornstarch, and ground cinnamon. Toss everything gently but thoroughly until the fruit slices and berries are evenly coated in the sugar and spice mixture. The cornstarch is key here, as it will thicken the fruit juices during baking, preventing a watery filling.
Bake to Golden Perfection:
Pour the fruit mixture evenly into your prepared baking dish. Next, generously sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit. Don’t worry if it doesn’t completely cover every bit of fruit; the goal is an even distribution. Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. This initial covered baking period allows the fruit to soften and release its juices without the topping browning too quickly.
After 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake for another 30 minutes, or until the crumble topping is beautifully golden brown, and the fruit filling is bubbly and tender. A good sign of doneness is when you see the syrupy fruit mixture bubbling up around the edges of the dish. Remove the crumble from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. This cooling time allows the filling to set, making it easier to scoop.
Serving and Storage Tips
The absolute best way to enjoy this Apple Cranberry Crumble is warm, fresh from the oven, paired with a generous scoop of rich vanilla bean ice cream. The cold, creamy ice cream melting into the warm, spiced fruit and buttery topping creates a truly divine contrast of temperatures and textures. Alternatively, a dollop of freshly whipped cream adds a lighter, airy touch that is equally delicious. However, rest assured, this crumble is utterly fantastic on its own – no embellishments needed to appreciate its wonderful flavors!
Enjoy this comforting dessert as a sweet ending to any meal, or even as a decadent brunch item. It’s a crowd-pleaser that always brings smiles!
Storage:
Leftover crumble can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, simply warm individual servings in the microwave or place the entire dish (covered loosely with foil) in a 350°F (175°C) oven until heated through and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you absolutely can use frozen cranberries! There’s no need to thaw them beforehand; simply add them directly to the apple mixture. Just note that frozen cranberries tend to release more water during baking than fresh ones, which might make the fruit filling slightly more watery. However, the taste will still be fantastic!
Certainly! Blueberries are an excellent substitute for cranberries in this recipe, offering a milder sweetness. You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries with great results. If using frozen, add them directly without thawing. Other berries like raspberries or a mixed berry blend would also work beautifully, just be mindful of their sweetness level and adjust added sugar if necessary.
For the recipe yield as written (serving 8), you need a standard 2-quart baking dish. To double the recipe, use a 9×13-inch baking dish (approximately 4 quarts), ensuring it’s a regular depth dish, not a shallow one, to prevent overflow. To triple the recipe, an extra-large baking dish, such as a 12×17-inch roasting pan (5-6 quarts), would be appropriate. Always ensure there’s enough room for the fruit to bubble without spilling over.
Yes! You can assemble the crumble completely, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking. When ready to bake, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while your oven preheats. You might need to add an extra 5-10 minutes to the baking time if it’s still quite cold.
While fresh orange juice adds a bright, complementary flavor, you can substitute it with an equal amount of apple juice or even water mixed with a teaspoon of lemon juice for a touch of acidity. The goal is to provide a little liquid for the cornstarch to work its magic and to keep the fruit moist.
Look for a golden-brown and slightly crisp topping. More importantly, the fruit filling underneath should be bubbling vigorously, especially around the edges of the dish. You can also insert a thin knife or skewer into the fruit; it should go in with minimal resistance, indicating the apples are tender. If the topping is browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil.
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All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
Apple Cranberry Crumble
Ana | Claudia’s Table
November 21, 2023
Pin Recipe
Equipment
-
1 baking dish 2-3 quart capacity
-
1 pastry cutter / dough blender
-
Food processor (optional, for the crumble topping)
Ingredients
For the Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter cut into small pieces
For the Apple Cranberry Filling
- 6 Granny Smith Apples medium-sized, peeled, cored and sliced
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Prepare the Crumble Topping
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In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup of light brown sugar. Mix with a fork to combine. Using a dough blender or your fingertips, cut the chilled butter into the flour-sugar mixture. Continue working until the mixture has the consistency of coarse cornmeal with some larger crumbs. Once fully combined, set aside.
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Alternatively, if using a food processor, add all crumble ingredients to the food processor bowl and pulse several times until blended and the mixture has a cornmeal-like consistency with some larger crumbs.
Assemble and Bake the Crumble
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In a large bowl, add the sliced apples and fresh cranberries. Pour in the orange juice. Add the 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Toss well until all the fruit is evenly coated in the sugar and spice mixture.
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Pour the fruit mixture into your 2-3 quart baking dish and spread evenly.
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Generously sprinkle the prepared crumble topping over the fruit mixture. Ensure the topping is distributed as evenly as possible; it’s okay if small parts of the fruit remain uncovered.
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Bake the crumble, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 30 minutes.
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The Apple Cranberry Crumble is done when the topping is golden brown and the fruit mixture is visibly bubbly and tender. Remove from the oven.
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Let the crumble cool slightly before serving. Enjoy warm, preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
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