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    Make It Skinny Please » Recipes » Desserts » Apple Cranberry Crisp

    Published: Nov 16, 2022 by Toni Dash · 5 Comments

    Apple Cranberry Crisp

    Weight Watchers Points4
    Calories: 179kcal
    Carbs: 41g
    Protein: 2g
    Fats: 3g
    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    low calorie apple cranberry crisp.

    Classic apple crisp is delicious but the addition of tart cranberries makes it a perfect winter dessert. This Weight Watchers dessert is brimming with fruit and just the right amount of sweetness and topping to make it a favorite for all.

    low calorie apple cranberry crisp.

    This easy Apple Cranberry Crisp is a great dessert recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas as well as any time of year. The sweet crisp apples combined with tartness of the cranberries in this fruit crisp is so good! It's an easy dessert and the warm fruit with fall spices is cozy and soul-warming.

    When baked the juicy fruit is warm and delicious making a fantastic crisp dessert without loads of sugar. It's a guilt-free dessert recipe and no one will know this delicious cranberry apple crisp has slimmed down calories.

    This delicious Apple Cranberry Crisp recipe is an old Weight Watchers recipe that has certainly stood the test of time. it's a classic and an exciting upgrade to traditional apple crisp thanks to the addition of cranberries.

    Jump to:
    • What makes this skinny?
    • Recipe Ingredient Notes
    • Best Apples for Apple Crisp
    • How to make Apple Cranberry Crisp
    • Variation
    • Expert Tips
    • How to store
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More recipes you'll love!
    • Recipe

    What makes this skinny?

    It's a Weight Watchers recipe that's almost two decades old that starts off with loads of fruit, and far less sugar, butter and oats than traditional apple crisp. Using sweet apples with strong apple flavor is key (don't use Red Delicious apples for this).

    As the apples and cranberries bake, the apples release juices making the perfect dessert. The fruit filling with warm spices and crumble topping make this a great option for the holiday season.

    Whether you follow Weight Watchers plans or not, you'll love this dessert recipe!

    Recipe Ingredient Notes

    apple cranberry crips labelled ingredients.

    Quick Cooking Oats. Quick oats, not rolled oats or old-fashioned oats, are used in this recipe. They give the topping to desired crispiness after baking.

    Light brown sugar.

    All purpose flour. Regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend can be used.

    Unsalted Butter. You'll use 1 tablespoons COLD unsalted butter. It really needs to be cold for the topping to come together properly. I cut the butter into smaller pieces to help with the step of combining the topping ingredients.

    Honeycrisp apples. Use 6 medium size honeycrisp apples. Honeycrisp apples can be very large; if medium size apples aren't available use four large apples.

    Cranberries. Fresh cranberries or frozen and thawed cranberries can be used. Do not use dried cranberries.

    Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice should be used. Only one tablespoon is needed.

    Spices. Cinnamon and nutmeg give this apple-cranberry crisp the perfect fall spices.

    pple cranberry crisp in baking dish and servings.

    Best Apples for Apple Crisp

    The original recipe called for Empire apples which I had not even heard of before. They predate many of the current apple varieties but had a combination of sweet and tart flavors, as well as held their shape when baked.

    The best apples for an apple crisp are those that will hold their shape with baking. Unlike the type that easily pulverize for recipes like homemade applesauce, you want structure in the apples for the best crisp recipe results.

    Honeycrisp is our star pick for this recipe but there are others that would do well too:

    • Golden delicious
    • Crispins
    • Jonagold
    • Braeburn
    • Granny Smith. Granny Smith apples with their signature bright green skin stand up well for baking though are more on the tart apples versus sweet. Because this is a lower sugar recipe the sweetness of the apples is important to the overall sweetness of the dessert. They would be great mixed with another sweeter variety apple.

    How to make Apple Cranberry Crisp

    STEP 1. Preparation

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch by 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (photo 1).

    apple cranberry crisp recipe steps 1-4.

    STEP 2. Make topping

    In a small bowl combine the oats, flour and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Add the cold butter pieces and using a pastry blender or two dull knives mix the butter into the the dry mixture until combined and crumbly (photos 2-3).

    STEP 3. Make apple cranberry mixture

    In a large mixing bowl combine apples, cranberries, remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg (photo 4). Toss to combine and coat apples (photo 5) .

    Spoon the fruit mixture into the prepared baking dish (it may be higher than the top of the pan) (photo 6). Sprinkle on the oat topping evenly over the apple cranberry mixture (photo 7).

    apple cranberry crisp recipe steps 5-8.

    STEP 4. Bake

    Bake for 35-45 minutes until filling is bubbling and topping has become golden brown (photo 8).

    STEP 5. Serve

    Serve as is or with a scoop of fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt (seen in the photos) or non-fat honey Greek yogurt.

    apple cranberry crisp in baking dish and serving plate.

    Variation

    Use pears instead of apples, or a combination.

    Expert Tips

    Topping browning too fast? Place foil over the top if it begins to over brown. Remove it in the last minutes of baking so it will crisp.

    Loads of apple mixture? When you spoon the apple-cranberry mixture into the baking dish you may think it's way too much. Don't worry! Pile it in there and as it bakes the fruit softens, relaxes and takes up less room.

    Buy cranberries and freeze them. Cranberries are only available in the stores (in the U.S.) in the fall. Buy some extra bags to store in your freezer so you can make this recipe any time!

    apple cranberry crisp serving with frozen yogurt.

    How to store

    Store leftover apple cranberry crisp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. The topping will soften when stored. Serve warm or at room temperature for best results.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What's the difference between a Crisp and a Crumble?

    It comes down to the topping. Both have a sweetened fruit layer. A crumble is topped with a brown sugar, butter and flour topping that becomes crumbly when baked. A crisp topping includes oats which crisp up when baked.

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    Recipe

    apple cranberry crisp serving close up.

    Apple Cranberry Crisp (low calorie recipe)

    Weight Watchers Points4
    Click to track Weight Watchers Points
    Loads of sweet apples, tart cranberries, warm spices with a crispy oat topping. This lower calorie version is full of fruit goodness, less sugar and butter. A perfect holiday and fall dessert.
    5 from 82 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 179kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup quick cooking oats regular or gluten-free (do not use rolled oats or old fashioned oats)
    • 4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar divided
    • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend
    • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
    • 6 medium Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
    • 1 cup fresh or frozen/thawed cranberries
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch by 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
    • In a small bowl combine the oats, flour and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Add the cold butter pieces and using a pastry blender or two dull knives mix the butter into the the dry mixture until combined and crumbly.
      ½ cup quick cooking oats, 4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
    • In a large mixing bowl combine apples, cranberries, remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss to combine and coat apples.
      4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 6 medium Honeycrisp apples, 1 cup fresh or frozen/thawed cranberries, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
    • Spoon the fruit mixture into the prepared baking dish (it may be higher than the top of the pan). Sprinkle on the oat topping evenly over the apple cranberry mixture.
    • Bake for 35-45 minutes until filling is bubbling and topping has become golden brown.
    • Serve as is or with a scoop of fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt or non-fat honey Greek yogurt.

    Notes

    Serving size note: the original recipe suggests a serving is ¼th of the whole crisp. We felt ⅙th of the crisp is a more realistic serving especially with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt.
    Suggested apple types:
    • Golden delicious
    • Crispins
    • Jonagold
    • Braeburn
    • Granny Smith. Because this is a lower sugar recipe the sweetness of the apples is important to the overall sweetness of the dessert. They would be great mixed with another sweeter variety apple.
    How to store
    Store leftover apple cranberry crisp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. The topping will soften when stored. Serve warm or at room temperature for best results.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 167IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Please share it!Mention @MakeItSkinnyPlease or tag #MakeItSkinnyPlease!
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutritional Coach and certified Weight Loss Specialist, writer/blogger, photographer, chief recipe developer and creator of Make It Skinny Please. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her slimmed down recipes using real food ingredients bring excitement to the dining table and never taste like 'diet food'. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. wilhelmina says

      November 17, 2022 at 8:35 am

      5 stars
      The apple and cranberry combo is one of my favorite Fall flavors. This was so delicious!

      Reply
    2. Charles says

      November 16, 2022 at 9:13 am

      5 stars
      Just what the doctor ordered AND something I can eat all year! thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    3. Kelley says

      November 16, 2022 at 8:35 am

      5 stars
      This was so good! It was the perfect amount of sweetness and made a great dessert for our dinner guests thank you!

      Reply
    4. Joyce says

      November 16, 2022 at 7:55 am

      5 stars
      My husband made this for me this morning with our extra apples and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
    5. gunjan says

      November 16, 2022 at 7:50 am

      5 stars
      Looks so attractive and so perfect for the season. Enjoying your recipe right now.

      Reply

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I'm a Certified Nutrition Coach and NASM certified Weight Loss Specialist. I'm excited to share Classic Recipes made more calorie friendly using real food!

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