Winter Fruit Crisp with Topping (Printable version)
Seasonal winter fruits topped with golden, buttery oats. Warm, comforting dessert ready in 1 hour.
# Ingredient List:
→ Fruit Filling
01 - 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 2 large pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
03 - 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
04 - ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
05 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 tbsp lemon juice
07 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon
08 - ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
09 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
→ Crisp Topping
10 - 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
11 - ¾ cup all-purpose flour
12 - ½ cup packed light brown sugar
13 - ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
14 - ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
15 - ¼ tsp salt
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat your oven to 350°F.
02 - In a large bowl, combine apples, pears, cranberries, dried apricots, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 tbsp flour. Toss until fruit is evenly coated.
03 - Transfer the fruit mixture into a greased 9-inch baking dish, spreading it evenly.
04 - In another bowl, mix the oats, ¾ cup flour, brown sugar, salt, and nuts (if using). Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
05 - Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit.
06 - Bake for 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
07 - Let cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, optionally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The contrast between tart cranberries and sweet baked fruit creates this incredible balance that keeps you coming back for just one more bite
- That moment when you break through the golden crisp topping into the hot, bubbling fruit underneath is basically pure comfort in a bowl
02 -
- I once skipped cooling the crisp and burned the roof of my mouth so badly I couldn't taste anything for days, so please learn from my mistake
- The topping might still look pale at 35 minutes, but give it those extra few minutes because that's when the butter really browns and the magic happens
03 -
- Use a light-colored baking dish so you can actually see when the fruit is bubbling around the edges, which is your real doneness indicator
- If your fruit seems extra juicy, add another tablespoon of flour to the filling before baking