Description
Delight in this festive Apple Cranberry Pecan Crumble, boasting a perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors with a buttery, nutty crumble topping. Adapted from Joy Wilson’s Homemade Decadence, this easy-to-make dessert combines fresh apples, cranberries, lemon zest, and pecans for a comforting holiday treat that’s sure to impress your family and guests.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling:
- 3 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 2 cups fresh cranberries (can be frozen)
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced into small cubes (2 sticks)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking.
- Prepare fruit filling: In a 9×13-inch baking dish, combine the diced Fuji and Granny Smith apples with the fresh cranberries. Sprinkle the granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and lemon zest over the fruit. Toss gently to evenly coat all the fruit with the mixture.
- Make crumble topping: In a medium mixing bowl or food processor, whisk together the all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the cold, diced butter cubes and cut the butter into the mixture using a pastry cutter or your fingers until pea-sized crumbs form. Finally, stir in the chopped pecans to coat them evenly.
- Combine crumble and fruit: Take about one-third of the crumble mixture and add it directly into the fruit filling in the baking dish. Stir gently to incorporate the crumbs with the fruit. Then, sprinkle the remaining two-thirds of the crumble evenly over the top of the fruit layer.
- Bake: Place the assembled crumble in the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
- Cool before serving: Remove the crumble from the oven and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes. This resting time helps the filling set and makes serving easier.
Notes
- You can substitute 6 to 8 pears for the apples if you prefer, though the original recipe uses a mix of Fuji and Granny Smith apples.
- For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of regular flour.
- Using cold butter is essential for achieving a crumbly topping texture.
- The crumble can be served warm or at room temperature, optionally topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for extra indulgence.
- Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator and gently reheat before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 1/12 of crumble)
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Keywords: apple crumble, cranberry pecan crumble, holiday dessert, fall dessert, baked fruit dessert, Joy the Baker recipe adaptation
