Winter Fruit Crisp Cinnamon Oat (Printable)
Baked apples and pears topped with a crunchy cinnamon oat crumble.
# What You'll Need:
→ 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 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
05 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
07 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch
→ Cinnamon Oat Crumble
08 - 3/4 cup rolled oats
09 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
10 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
11 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
13 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
14 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
15 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square or oval baking dish.
02 - In a large bowl, toss apples, pears, cranberries, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and cornstarch until evenly coated. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish.
03 - In a separate bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add cold butter and rub in with fingertips or a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Stir in nuts if using.
04 - Sprinkle the oat crumble evenly over the fruit filling. Bake for 40 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling.
05 - Allow to cool slightly before serving warm. Optionally, serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The topping gets impossibly crispy while the fruit stays tender and juicy underneath.
- It comes together faster than you'd think, leaving you more time to relax by the fireplace.
- One dessert that tastes fancy enough for guests but easy enough for a quiet night in.
02 -
- If your crumble topping comes out dense instead of crispy, your butter was too warm or you mixed it too much; next time work quickly and keep everything cold.
- The fruit will bubble up quite a bit as it bakes, which means it's working properly and not a sign that something went wrong.
03 -
- Cutting your butter into smaller pieces and keeping your work surface cool makes the crumble crispier than you'd think possible.
- Don't skip tossing the fruit with cornstarch; it's what keeps you from ending up with a soggy bottom layer and pools of juice.