This Apple Cranberry Crumble is the perfect fall dessert, combining sweet apples and tart cranberries and topped with a delicious buttery crumble! It takes less than 10 minutes to throw together and is great for holiday gatherings or a simple weeknight dessert.
Crumbles have and always will be one of my favorite desserts to make both for a family dinner and for guests. They are incredibly easy to throw together, utilize the best in-season produce and are absolutely scrumptious served warm with ice cream or custard. This Apple Cranberry Crumble is one of my favorite versions because it has that perfect balance of sweet and tart. It's the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I hope you love it as much as we do!
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What is a crumble?
A crumble, as opposed to a cobbler or a crisp, traditionally refers to a mixture of flour, fat and sugar baked on top of stewed fruit.
It's sometimes confused with cobbler, which actually involves a wet batter being poured on top of the fruit before baking.
Some people will get technical about differentiating between a crumble and a crisp. But honestly I kind of see the two as pretty interchangeable.
Regardless of what you call them, all are absolutely delicious and a perfect way to make the most of our fresh, seasonal fruit!
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Equipment
- 9-10 inch Baking dish: I like to use a pie dish, a cast iron skillet or my Le Crueset au gratin dish.
- Cutting board and knife
- Peeler (optional): I love using my Oxo peeler for the apples.
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoon
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Apples: Because the cranberries are quite tart I recommend choosing a sweeter apple, such as Honeycrisp for the best balance of flavors.
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries tend to become available from late October through the end of the year. If you can't find them you can use frozen. Just let them thaw for a couple hours before baking.
- Clementine (or Orange): I like using clementines because we always seem to have at least one somewhere in the kitchen. I also think its the perfect amount of juice and zest for this recipe. But if you don't have any than you can use about a teaspoon of orange zest and a tablespoon of orange juice instead.
- Cinnamon & Ginger
- All purpose flour
- White granulated sugar
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Rolled oats
- Butter: To make this recipe vegan substitute unsalted butter with vegan butter.
- Salt
Serving Suggestions
I highly recommend serving this Apple Cranberry Crumble warm topped with ice cream. It really cuts through the tartness and adds a delicious creamy finish. It's also great with custard or whipped cream.
Step-by-Step Photos
Recipe FAQs
The crumble is ready when it's golden brown and the fruit filling is bubbling.
Yes, simple substitute the butter with a vegan butter alternative.
To make this recipe gluten free you can substitute the flour with a 1 to 1 gluten free alternative. You'll also want to make sure that you purchase gluten free rolled oats.
Yes. The great thing about crumbles is that they are incredibly versatile. You can add nuts to the topping or even adjust the fruit ratios to your taste.
Yes, you can freeze both unbaked and baked apple cranberry crumble.
To freeze an unbaked crumble simply assemble the crumble according to the recipe then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then foil.
To freeze a baked crumble you'll first need to allow it to cool completely. Then wrap it in freezer safe packaging (plastic wrap and foil) and freeze.
Both will last up to 3-4 months in the freezer. Then thaw overnight before baking.
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Made the Cranberry Apple Crumble recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Apple Cranberry Crumble
Equipment
- Pie dish or similar sized baking dish
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
For the fruit filling
- 3 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 cups cranberries, fresh
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 clementine, juice and zest Substitute with 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
For the crumble topping
- ⅔ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.In a mixing bowl add all fruit filling ingredients and mix to combine.Set aside and rest for at least 5 minutes to allow the juices to release.
- In another mixing bowl combine all crumble ingredients except the butter. Mix well.Add in room temperature butter and use your hands to press or pinch it into the flour mixture until it is well incorporated and forms a crumbly texture.
- Pour the fruit mixture into a prepared dish. Then sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top.Bake at 375 degrees F for about 45-50 minutes until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is a crisp golden brown.Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a drizzle of custard, whipped cream, ice cream, yogurt or simply on its own. Enjoy!
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