Making a fruit crisp with apples. pears and cranberries is a great way to use winter fruit. It’s so easy because you don’t have to worry about making a pie crust. All you need to do here is mix and dump. The sweet aroma when it’s baking fills up the house. When it’s done, the result is so delicious.
Different varieties of baking apples can be used here like Gala, Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Honey Crisp. Pick firm ripe pears like Anjou or Bartlett. Fresh cranberries are readily available this season. For the spices, sweet cinnamon, cloves, honey and nutmeg flavor the fruit.
Make the Fruit Crisp
Peel and core the apples and pears. Chop them into 1/2-inch cubes. Pick through the cranberries and discard any soft ones. Wash the cranberries and dry them with paper towel. Place all the fruit in a big bowl. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter a 9-inch square or round baking dish or pie dish.
For the filling , mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Add this flour mixture to the fruit and mix with a rubber spatula.
For the topping, place the oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Mix until combined.
Spread the fruit and flour mixture in the buttered baking dish. Drizzle a tablespoon of honey over the top. Add the oats mixture on top and level it with a rubber spatula. Bake the crisp in the preheated oven at 350F degrees for about 45-50 minutes, until it’s bubbly and the topping is brown and crisp.
There’s just something about a warm fruit crisp served with vanilla ice cream that is so comforting. It’s a perfect winter dessert for your family or guests. I’m telling you it just hits the spot every single time. Try it and let me know what you think.

Fruit Crisp with Apple, Pear and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 2 apples peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 pears peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ¾ cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter + more to butter baking dish
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour + 3 Tbsp for filling
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp for topping
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg + 1/8 tsp for topping
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
- Take butter out of the fridge and set aside on the counter to soften a bit. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter a 9-inch square or round baking dish. Peel and core apples and pears and chop them into 3/4-inch cubes. Place them in a large bowl with the cranberries.
- In a small bowl combine 3 Tbsp flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp salt. Add this flour mixture to fruit and mix together with a rubber spatula. Transfer fruit into the buttered baking dish.
- For the topping: Combine 3/4 cups oats, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 cup butter. Use a fork or your hands to mix and press it together until it forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping over the fruit.
- Bake crisp in the oven at 350F degrees for 45-50 minutes until bubbly and the topping is slightly brown and crisp. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.