Winter Fruit Crisp Topping (Printable version)
A warm, comforting dish of baked winter fruits with a golden oat topping, ideal for cold nights.
# 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 - ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
05 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
08 - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
09 - 2 tablespoons 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 teaspoon salt
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
02 - In a large bowl, combine apples, pears, cranberries, dried apricots, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons 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 tips:
01 -
- The fruit filling becomes this incredible jammy consistency while the topping stays perfectly crunchy
- You can swap fruits based on what's languishing in your crisper drawer
- It makes the whole house smell like cinnamon and butter, which is basically free aromatherapy
02 -
- Don't skip letting the fruit sit for a few minutes after tossing, the sugar needs time to draw out those juices
- If your topping starts browning too quickly, tent the dish with foil for the last 10 minutes
03 -
- Work quickly when mixing the butter into the topping, you don't want it to warm up too much
- If you're making this ahead, keep the topping separate and scatter it just before baking