Apple and Cranberry Crisp

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving, and I can’t even begin to describe the scene in our kitchen during the hours leading up to the big event. Let’s just say that my wonderful husband cooked up a storm while I baked my tail off to ensure that there’d be enough sweet stuff to go around. Naturally, I overdid it. We both did, to a certain extent – though on the plus side, having a ton of leftovers means I don’t have to cook for the rest of the week. Plus, as nice as it is to have our family over, there’s just something to be said about curling up on your couch in your pajamas and eating leftovers without having to worry about being the host. Yeah, that was us last night.

Anyway, needless to say I’ve got lots of catch-up to do on here, but I’ll start with one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes: apple and cranberry crisp. I’m a big fan of fruit crisps in general, and the apple-cranberry combination is no exception. I love the contrast of the tart cranberries and sweet apples. And when you help yourself to a generous plate of warm, fresh-from-the-oven apple and cranberry crisp and top it with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream, it just doesn’t get better than that.

cranapplecrisp

Apple and Cranberry Crisp

Ingredients:

For the fruit layer:

3 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons AP four
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp orange juice

For the topping:

6 tbsp cold butter, diced
2/3 cup AP flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brownsugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside.
  2. To make the fruit layer, simply combine all of the ingredients listed above, mix well, and let sit while you make the topping.
  3. To make the topping, whisk together the flour, oats, sugars, salt, and spices. Use a fork to cut in the butter so that thick crumbs form.
  4. Transfer the fruit layer into the prepared and pan and use your fingers to sprinkle the crumb topping over it. (To make this easier, try spraying your fingers with cooking spray.)
  5. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the top is browned and the edges are bubbling.
  6. Let cool slightly before serving. Topping this dessert with vanilla ice cream is optional, but highly recommended.

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

I have something shocking to admit: I haven’t been in much of a baking mood lately. I know—blasphemy, but this tends to happen to me during the summer. Still, I did decide this week to whip up a batch of blondies, and I’m glad I did, because they were the perfect accompaniment to the raspberry swirl ice cream I’ve been devouring like a madwoman.

These blondies are basically your classic Cranberry Bliss Bar without the frosting. If you want to add frosting, you can find the recipe here. But I felt that these were more than sweet enough without it (thank you, white chocolate).

These blondies strike that perfect balance of being chewy yet light; and the cranberries add a nice touch of tartness to a sweet white chocolate-infused batter. Best of all, they’re really easy to throw together. My batch took less than 15 minutes from start to finish, including cleanup. And aside from tasting great, they’re also pretty to look at. If you’re in the mood for a quick summertime treat, these blondies will be sure to hit the spot.

cranblondies

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
Recipe from RecipeGirl

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/4 cups AP flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (the original recipe said 1/8 of a teaspoon, but I like a slightly stronger cinnamon essence; you can also add a pinch of nutmeg if you enjoy that flavor profile)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (or you can use white chocolate chips)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Melt the butter for one minute in the microwave; stir in brown sugar and then cool to room temperature.
3. Beat or whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
5. Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture.
6. Stir in the cranberries and chopped chocolate. Note that your batter will be thick.
7. Spread your batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let the blondies cool in their pan completely before cutting and serving.