Description
This easy Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Crisp recipe is the perfect dessert for the holiday season. Try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Ingredients
Scale
For The Apple Cranberry Filling:
- 3 cups fresh cranberries (one 12-ounce bag)
- 5 cups diced apples* (4–5 medium apples)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt (less than 1/8 teaspoon)
For The Crumble Topping:
- 6 Tablespoons butter, cut into cubes and slightly softened
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (68 grams) gluten-free oats (I like a mix of rolled oats and quick oats)*
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt*
Instructions
- Preheat The Oven & Prep The Pan. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Set out a 9×9″ baking dish and place it on a sheet pan. (You can also use a round or oval 2-quart baking dish)
- Mix Up The Filling. In a large bowl, combine fresh cranberries, diced apples, brown sugar, sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, orange juice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine well. Pour the cranberry filling into the baking dish.
- Mix Up The Topping. In the same bowl (no need for a separate bowl), combine butter cubes, brown sugar, gluten-free oats, gluten-free flour, vanilla, and salt. Mix with a fork, a pastry blender, or your hands (my pick!), until the butter is well distributed, the oat mixture is forming clumps and clusters and no dry patches remain. Sprinkle the oat topping over the apple mixture. It will be generous!
- Bake The Crisp. Make sure the 9×9 pan is on top of the cookie sheet to catch any potential drips or spills. Place the apple cranberry crisp in the oven and bake 50-60 minutes or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown. If the top starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely tent the pan with foil, but you don’t want to pull it out until the sides are bubbling. (This boiling will help thicken the filling and ensure the fruit is cooked through.)
- Cool Properly Before Serving. Remove crisp from the oven and cool at LEAST 20-30 minutes before serving. This will allow the filling to thicken and set. If you scoop into it right away, the filling will be more more liquid and thin.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy bowls of cranberry crisp with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Store leftover cranberry crisp covered with foil or plastic wrap in the refrigerator up to 3 days. (I don’t like transferring leftovers to an airtight container because it usually scrambles up the filling and topping)
Notes
- CRANBERRIES. Feel free to use fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries here. If using frozen cranberries, I recommend thawing them first so they blend well with the other ingredients. You’ll also want to add an additional 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to account for the extra liquid.
- APPLES. We recommend Honeycrisp apples or Granny Smith apples (green apples) for this recipe. You can peel them or leave the peels on.
- SALT. We’re baking with kosher salt. If you’re using fine table salt, you’ll want to start with less.
- GLUTEN-FREE OATS. To stay celiac safe, you must buy certified gluten-free oats. We like Bob’s Red Mill, Trader Joe’s, and One Degree brands, but there are lots of good ones out there!
- GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR. We highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour blend. If you use another blend, be sure it contains xanthan gum. Measure carefully, weighing or using the scoop and level method so you don’t over-pack the flour.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
