I don’t know about you, but any dessert that can be made ahead of time, and still served hot and bubbly is a winner in my book. That’s the case with this delicious make ahead Pear Cranberry and Apple Crisp. While an apple crisp might seem rather ordinary, this one is elevated with the addition of pear and fresh cranberries. The medley of fruits give depth of flavor and really tantalize the taste buds with a little something sweet and a little something tangy. I’m all about balance and this dessert has precisely that.
But wait, there’s more! The very best part of this Make Ahead Pear Cranberry and Apple Crisp is that it can be, wait for it, made ahead. You do that by preparing the filling in one bowl and the topping in another and storing them separately. Allow about an hour for baking and fifteen or so minutes for cooling and you’ve got yourself a tasty and impressive little number to serve and devour.
Another reason to love crisps is because easier than cakes and pies but when they’re served fresh from the oven they’re every bit as delicious. The natural sugars in the fruits bubble and caramelize beneath a buttery, crumbly crust. Throw in some oats for texture and pecans for nutty flavor and you’ve got yourself a winner my friend. I don’t even need to sell you on the addition of a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Make Ahead Pear Cranberry and Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the fruit filling
- 5 Granny Smith apples
- 1 red Bosc pear
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- zest from one lemon
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
For the topping
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
- 12 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Place sliced apples in a medium-sized bowl.. Peel and core the pear. Add the pear slices to the apples. Rinse whole, fresh cranberries under running water. Add the cranberries to the apple/pear mixture. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice to the sliced fruit and stir gently to coat the fruit in the lemon juice and evenly distribute the lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats and spices. Using a pastry cutter, two forks or your hands, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, working it in until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. The butter pieces should be the size of small pebbles and should be evenly coated. Gently stir in the chopped pecans.
- At this point, you can refrigerate the two bowls until you're ready to bake the crisp.
- When it's time to bake, preheat the oven to 375º. You can either evenly distribute the filling mixture into eight greased ramekins, or place all of it in a greased 13x9" pan. Either way, you will evenly distribute the topping mixture atop the fruit filling. Bake for 55 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Allow the crisp to cool for ten minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 462Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 9mgFiber: 7gSugar: 28gProtein: 4g
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I need to buy some pears just so that I can try this recipe. It looks so good.