A couple of weeks ago, I took the plunge and switched to a self-hosted site as I had reached my max of GB allotted on the previous site. The choices were to either go Premium or switch to self hosting. I chose the latter as it gave me more control over my site. However in the process I may have lost a few wonderful WordPress followers. My apologies to all those who no longer see my posts in their Reader, please feel free to re-follow along if that is your wish. And a huge thanks to those who noticed and for being my second set of eyes and ears. I feel extremely blessed to be part of this wonderful and supportive blogging community!
On another note….well, I know you are actually here for the recipe 🙂 🙂 lol !
If your still looking for a quick and easy holiday dessert idea which does not involve to much fussing over then I’ve got you covered! This Apple Cranberry Crisp is all that and more. I love the combination of sweet apples paired with the tartness of cranberries and topped with a crunchy, nutty crumble…well, just heaven! You can make the topping in advance and store it the fridge for up to one week, always a plus when there are so many demands around the holidays.
Normally, I would bake the apple cranberry crisp in individual, big ovenproof coffee cups, top each with a scoop of ice-cream and serve it elegantly this way. However a couple of months ago, I had invested in cast iron skillets and have just been dying to try out this crisp in a less formal way.This iron skillet does just that, giving the apple cranberry crisp a charming, rustic appeal.
The filling is enough for two, 6 inch round skillets. Mound it high in the center of the pans as the mixture does cook down quite a bit.
Sprinkle the topping generously over the apple-cranberry mixture, patting it down somewhat. This helps to secure it over the mixture.
Serve it up with either whipped cream, English custard or vanilla ice-cream and enjoy!
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
- TOPPING
- 1 cup large flake oats (not instant)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup whole almonds (chopped)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- pinch of nutmeg
- FILLING
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (roughly chopped)
- 4 cups thinly sliced apples (I used Cortland)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons (freshly squeezed lemon juice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C)
- For the topping, place the oats, sugar, almond flour, chopped almonds in a medium sized bowl. Add a pinch of nutmeg and stir well. Add the softened butter and use a fork or your hands to work in the butter to form a crumble. Set aside.
- For the filling, toss together the chopped cranberries and sliced apples in a large bowl. Stir in both sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice until combined.
- Divide the mixture between the two cast iron skillets. Mound the fruit high and press it gently together to compact. Sprinkle with the topping pressing gently again so that it adheres to the fruit. (Mixture will sink when baked)
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 45 to 50 minutes. Topping should be a nice golden brown.
Lynz Real Cooking says
Love this Marisa! It looks so good and full of yummy things like oats and almonds! I love these textures and flavors! So glad to see you back!
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Thank-you Lynz ! How are you spending your Thanks-giving? Are you able to gather everyone together? 🙂 Hugs!
Lynz Real Cooking says
all of the kids are coming and my parents!
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Sounds like a lot of fun Lynz! Happy Thanks-Giving to you and yours 🙂 xoxo
Lynz Real Cooking says
Thanks so much! xoxo
DanielaApostol says
It looks very yummy ? l switched to a self-hosted site a few days ago too and had fun getting the blog up and running.
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Yes it is fun, a bit of head scratching but fun. Thank god for the Happiness Engineers! 🙂
DanielaApostol says
Oh yes, l had to contact them a few times too, but l think l’ve got my head around it now. Definitely a good decision to switch.
Lili says
Your website looks beautiful Marisa! Love the sliding photo gallery… and your beautiful recipe too! Looks delicious.:)
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Thank-you so much Lili 🙂
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Thank-you…I love your site! 🙂
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Thank-you 🙂 Am looking forward to following your blog!
Min says
Nice looking and healthy
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Thank-you Min 🙂
It's Cooking With Magda says
Looks so yummy. I love the apples and cranberries combination.
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Thank-you Magda…I do as well 🙂
Diana says
Looks delicious…I will give this a try for sure!!! So pretty!
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Thank-you Diana! Enjoy it 🙂
Renee says
This is a yummy looking dessert!! I want to switch over too, but I’m procrastinating because I’m afraid if will be a headache! Looks good here Marisa!
Renee
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
Hi Rene,I do know what you mean! Because I am not technically savvy,I purchased an upgrade and the happiness engineers did all the heavy lifting. Totally worth the money in my opinion. And they give wonderful support for two weeks after the transition. Your never left alone! Hope this helps 🙂
Sandhya says
Marisa, The crisp looks so scrumptious!Love the fact that you made it in a cast iron pan. I honestly feel that things cooked in a cast iron pan have additional flavor.
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
I agree Sandhya…will definitely be using it more often!