A Wintery Winter Crisp

Winter is a time for baking, especially anything with warm apples and cinnamon.....apple pies, apple tarts and even appple crisps. The smell that travels through the house as these yummy desserts are being baked is so comforting and that scent alone can conjure up good holiday memories and get you all warm and fuzzy inside (cheesy but true). Martha Stewart has an apple crisp like recipe but with a holiday twist that will knock your Christmas reindeer socks right off. What is this holiday twist or secret ingredient you ask? Well cranberries of course and tis the season for fresh cranberries and I love me some fresh cranberries.

Martha's Winter Crisps is an age old favorite in our family, that my mom has made for years and that I can recall making when I was a junior in high school for the first time. The tart of the apples and cranberries mix well with the sweetness of the pears and crumb topping. And the cinnamon and nutmeg give it a holiday taste that is unmatched. And when served warm with some vanilla ice cream, there is nothing better.


Martha's Winter Crisp
2 cups cranberries (fresh), can be found in the produce section
4 cups pears, peeled and sliced
3 cups apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar

Crumb Topping
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup unsalted butter
Nuts optional

Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch glass dish. Set aside.

Using a medium size bowl, peel cut and measure out the apples and pears, adding the cranberries last after rinsing the cranberries gentle. The in a small separate bowl mix together the cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg. Once mixed add the dry spice mixture to the fruit, tossing with your fingers until everything is coated evenly. Once fully coated place the fruit-spice mixture into the buttered glass dish. Set aside.

In another small bowl combine the flour, brown sugar and oatmeal. Mix well. Then cut the butter into the dry mixture with a pastry knife or a fork. Mix until the butter is in small pea sized balls and is incorporated in with the dry mixture. Pour the crumb topping mixture onto the fruit in the butter dish making sure it is blanketing the fruit.

Bake the winter crisp for 35-45 minutes, baking unto the crumb topping is a golden brown and the juices from the fruit mixture are bubbling and the fruit is soft. Once done baking, place on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm, with a yummy vanilla ice cream.

So if you are needing a little Christmas kick in the pants and like a good crisp, bake you a Winter Crisp and finish it off with a scoop of ice cream. In the end you will be oozing with christmas cheer and will keep going back for more.

Merry Christmas!