Apple Cranberry Crumble Holiday Surprise

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A friend's recipe for a holiday cranberry dish that's tart and slightly sweet. The roasted pecans are a flavor enhancer. So delicious!

It's the holiday season. And Santa Claus is coming around the Christmas snow is white on the ground when ole' Santa gets into town he'll be coming 'round the chimney now. 

This holiday tune was first performed by Kay Thompson at the Hollywood Bowl, on December 22, 1945. Andy Williams' made it famous by placing it on his 1963 Christmas album. 

Cranberries! So many recipes. So many don't care for cranberries. They're bright and beautiful but tart and sour. For those who want to 'flip off' the berry, this recipe will inspire you to give it another go. Away with cranberry Jell-O and hello to apple cranberry crumble. 

Recently, I visited my dear friend, MK, in Atlanta. She shared a recipe that's a holiday tradition at her home. She said, "It's my favorite thing next to stuffing." I borrowed the recipe and wanted to try cutting down on the sugar (MK has a sweet tooth). I do this because I try to limit my sugar intake. Luckily, I minimized the sugar and stayed true to the recipe. 

Ingredients: 
Three large apples peeled and diced (I used two green apples and a Gala)
12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1/2 cup of sugar (If you want a sweeter treat, use a whole cup of sugar)
1 1/2 cups of quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup of flour
Cup of pecan halves
1/2 cup and two T. of sugar
2 T. of honey
1/2 stick of melted butter

Apples, cranberries, and sprinkled sugar

A combination of sugar and honey 

Mixing the topping for the cranberry dish

Directions: 
Use a large casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Add the apples and cranberries to the dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup (whole cup if you want it sweeter) of sugar over the fruit. Combine the other 1/2 cup plus 2 T. of sugar with 2 T. of honey. Pack it. Add the sugar combo to the rest of the ingredients. Top the fruit with the oat mixture. Cover with aluminum foil for half of the baking time. Bake for approximately an hour (Remove the foil after 30 minutes). After an hour, the apple cranberry crumble will bubble. The topping will turn golden brown. 

Serve immediately as a holiday side dish or make it a dessert served with vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

Apple Cranberry Crumble in the oven

Apple Cranberry Crumble is complete!

Enjoy this holiday dish. It's truly incredible. Thanks, MK!