Preheat The Oven & Prep The Pan. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Set out a 9x9" 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 9x9 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)