The last Evanston Farmer’s Market of the year was today, and I loaded up on fresh Michigan apples and Wisconsin cranberries. Normally, the last thing I want to do after working a 12 hour day is start cooking and baking, but I had the itch today. In addition to the Crisp I’ve also got one last batch of Stuffed Pumpkins prepped for lunch tomorrow and made a big pot of Potato Leek Soup for dinner tonight. My brother even made a special trip down into the field today and picked fresh leeks for me for the soup! Doesn’t get much fresher than that!
Anyway, back to the Crisp… I just started looking through cabinets and throwing stuff together. Admittedly, I used a friend’s secret apple crisp recipe for the inspiration for the topping. (Don’t worry Jamie, I ran out of a few things and had to adjust your secret.) 
So, here goes…
CRANBERRY APPLE CRISP
- 20 medium-sized apples, peeled, cored and diced (I used gala today because that’s what I got cheap from another vendor)
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. maple extract
- 1/2 c. butter, melted
- 2 c. fresh cranberries, boiled until popped and mashed
- 1 1/2 c. flour
- 3/4 c. oatmeal
- 1 c. almonds, pulsed on food processor until fine
- 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 1 c. butter
- 2 T. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add maple extract to butter. Mix apples, cranberries, sugar, pie spice, and cinnamon and pour butter/extract over top. Mix until well coated and pour into a large (10×14 or bigger) casserole dish.
Combine flour, oatmeal, almonds, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Toss with a fork. Drizzle melted butter over top and toss until crumbly. Pour over apples and spread evenly. Bake 30-45 minutes until apples are bubbly and topping is slightly browned.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or brandied whipped cream.
Cranberries and apples ready for topping...
Perfect!
