Cranberry Apple Casserole {or crisp ... or crunch}

As I'm sitting here thinking about writing about this dish, I can't help but have a vision of a TV infomercial playing in my head, 'cause this dish is so versatile.  {insert boisterous announcer voice here} ... It's a creative cranberry fall'ish, Thanksgiving'ish side dish ... BUT WAIT!  THERE'S MORE! ... It's perfect as a breakfast/brunch dish ... BUT WAIT!  THERE'S MORE! ...
When served up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it's a delicious dessert.  It's a casserole, it's a crisp, it's a crunch ...  YOU GET THREE DISHES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!  {but only if you call in the next 10 minutes!} ... okay, just kidding on that last part.

As I've said in the past, I'm not a huge cranberry sauce fan ... except for our family's Thanksgiving day Cabernet Cranberry Sauce, ... so I take my cranberry fill in other forms.  Like this dish.

And, seriously, this dish truly can serve as a fabulous side dish for turkey or ham, as a breakfast or brunch cranberry treat, or as a dessert, much like traditional apple crisp.

Recipes for this Cranberry Apple Casserole appear in, I kid you not, no less than six of my church/womens' club cookbooks ... with most referring to it as a 'casserole,' and others calling it a 'crisp' or 'crunch.'  I decided to stick with what appeared to be the most popular name - 'casserole.'  (Which is also what it's called in the cookbook I'm citing as my recipe source ... my church's cookbook.  We have some fabulous cooks in our church!)

All you do to pull this dish together is toss some fresh cranberries, chopped apple, and sugar together in a baking dish.  Then top it with a mixture of oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter ... just like a traditional 'crisp.'

Bake it all together, and then dig in!  {And if you're one of the next ten callers, you'll also get the FREE bonus gift of ...}  Hey, did you just hear that announcer voice again??  Shhhhhhhh, boisterous announcer.  This dish will sell itself just fine without you.

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Cranberry Apple Casserole

Source:  Adapted from Lutheran Chapel Cooks with {More} Love (... which happens to be my church's cookbook!)

Ingredients 

Filling:

2 c. fresh cranberries, rinsed

3 c. peeled chopped tart apple (such as Rome, McIntosh, or Granny Smith)

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

Pinch of salt

Topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. old-fashioned oats

3/4 c. chopped pecans

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

Directions

For the Filling:  

1.  Place cranberries, chopped apple, and sugar in the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  

2.  Sprinkle the ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt on top; toss to coat.

For the Topping:  

3.  Melt the butter in a mixing bowl.  Add remaining topping ingredients and toss to combine.  Sprinkle topping evenly over the fruit mixture.

4.  Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

5.  Serve warm or cold, as a side dish with turkey or ham, as a breakfast/brunch dish, or as a dessert with ice cream.

Enjoy!

 

This post is linked with Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Lil' Luna Link Party, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Show & Share, Thursday's Treasures, Share Your Creations, Full Plate Thursday, Inspiration Friday, Weekend Potluck, Weekend Wrap Up Party, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Sweet Treats & Swanky Stuff, Sundae Scoop, Think Pink Sunday, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sunday Showcase Party, On the Menu Monday, Marvelous Mondays.