Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp

While a crisp may seem like a summer and fall recipe, there’s no reason it can’t exist for the holidays too! This cranberry apple pear crisp uses the best flavors of the season and combines them into a delicious dessert. Whether it’s for a party or simply a weeknight, you’re going to love this recipe!

Crisp isn’t usual for the holidays, but this one hits the mark.

I like to counteract the idea that certain foods can only be made during certain seasons. Think about a fruit crisp. A crisp is a perfect dessert. Fruit mixed with sugar, thickener, and some spices and baked with a streusel on top. Somehow this has been coined an autumn dessert and used mostly with apples. This recipe breaks the rules and proves that crisps can be made anytime by switching up the filling. The fruit filling is a mixture of cranberries, apples, and pears. Cranberries have a lot of natural pectins and will thicken easily. The sharp tartness of the cranberries is balanced with the sweet-tart apples and pears. The streusel adds the crisp granola-like topping and finishes the dessert.

The holidays are stress-free with easy desserts, and this is the perfect one to start with.

Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.

• Pears become soft when baked and give a new layer of flavor and texture to the fruit mixture.
• Apples add a bit of extra crispness to the recipe. Choose a baking apple that holds its texture but softens slightly, like Honeycrisp.
• Cranberries will burst during baking and color the filling red. The cranberries will add a tart flavor to balance the sweetness.
• Crystalized candied ginger offers the bright flavor of fresh ginger but with a sweet candy twist that tames the strong flavor. Ginger is a comforting flavor during the winter months and adds a holiday note.
• Cornstarch will help the entire crisp to stay together once baked. This amount of cornstarch will not make the crisp too solid, as there will still be some viscosity, but it adds just the right amount of hold.

Here’s how to make this recipe.

1. Prepare the fruit. Slice both the apples and pears into thin slices and add them to a large bowl. Also, add in the whole cranberries without slicing them.

2. Mix together the fruit filling. Chop up the candied ginger into small pieces and add to the fruit in the mixing bowl. Also, add in the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, orange zest, and orange juice. Mix all of the ingredients together until the fruit is coated with the sugar and juices. Then set aside.

3. Prepare the streusel topping. In a separate bowl, combine the old-fashioned rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Mix together all of the dry ingredients to ensure everything is evenly combined. Then add in the cubed butter and toss it lightly with the dry ingredients. Take one piece of butter and smash it between your thumb and forefinger and continue this process until the butter is in small, irregular pieces.

4. Assemble and bake the crisp. In a greased 9×9 baking dish, pour the fruit filling. Spread it out into an even layer. Then add the streusel topping all over the top. Bake the crisp at 350°F for 55 to 75 minutes until the mixture is bubbling throughout. Once fully baked, remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

These pro tips will make this recipe a success.

• Make sure to wash the cranberries and inspect for any bad spots. If there are less than-desirable cranberries, remove them.
• To zest the orange, simply put the orange in one static hand and use the other hand to move the Microplane across the surface. This will collect all of the orange zest in the confines of the Microplane, which can then be tapped out easily (and mess-free) into the bowl with all of the other ingredients.
• The fruit filling should be mixed until the sugar begins to draw out some of the juices from the fruit. The fruit should look like it’s moist and syrupy.
• When making the streusel, before smashing the butter, toss it in the dry ingredients first. This will ensure that each piece of butter is coated in some of the dry ingredients and will prevent two pieces from sticking together. This will make the smashing process easier.
• When adding the filling to the baking dish, make sure to add any of the residual juices sitting at the bottom of the bowl. These juices will contain some of the cornstarch, which will help thicken the entire crisp once baked.

You’ll love these other sweet holiday recipes.

• Cranberry cheese log
• The best peppermint bark
• Glazed party mix
• Chocolate waffle cookies
• Christmas sugar cookies
• Peanut butter balls
• No-bake peppermint cheesecake
• Peppernuts

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