Happy Easter from our farm to yours! This is the season we look forward to all year — the trees are just beginning to bud, the orchard is coming back to life, and it's the perfect time for a bright, spring-forward dessert that carries the last of winter's stored apples into the new season. Meet our Easter Sunday favorite: a warm apple-cranberry crisp with a buttery brown-sugar oat topping.
This crisp is what we make when we want to celebrate spring but still lean on our late-season storage apples that are at peak flavor right now. Cortland, Northern Spy, and Honeycrisp all keep their texture through months of cold storage, meaning that Easter dessert can still taste like fresh-fall-picked. Order fresh apples direct from our orchard here.
Ingredients (serves 8)
Filling
- 6 cups Honeycrisp, Cortland, or Northern Spy apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 orange (spring brightness)
Crisp Topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
To Serve
- Vanilla ice cream or lightly whipped cream
- Optional: Farm Fresh Honey drizzle
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Filling. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples and cranberries with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, vanilla, and orange zest until every piece is coated.
- Transfer to the baking dish and spread evenly.
- Topping. In a bowl, whisk together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly and holds together in small clumps. Fold in nuts if using.
- Sprinkle the topping generously over the fruit.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the topping is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
- Let rest for 15 minutes before serving — this lets the filling set.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and, if you like, a drizzle of honey.
Why This Works for Easter
- Uses stored apples at their peak. Late-season varieties are at their best in early spring — the sugars have developed and the texture is still perfect.
- Cranberries add bright color and tartness that keeps the dessert from being too heavy for spring.
- Orange zest signals spring. A small but essential touch.
- Feeds a crowd. One dish, eight servings — perfect for extended-family Easter dinners.
- Make ahead. Assemble the crisp and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Add 5–10 minutes to the bake time if starting cold.
Tips & Variations
- Fresh cranberries after Christmas? Buy extra and freeze them in December. Frozen cranberries work perfectly here.
- Add pears. Sub 2 cups of the apple for sliced pears for a beautiful spring version.
- Gluten-free. Sub certified GF oats and 1:1 GF flour blend.
- Vegan. Sub cold coconut oil for butter.
- Storage. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days. Rewarm in a 300°F oven for 15 minutes to re-crisp the topping.
More Spring Apple Recipes
- Passover Cinnamon Apple & Raisin Skillet Matzo Brei
- Cinnamon Greek Yogurt Fruit Salad
- Harvest Quinoa Apple Salad
From all of us at Honeycrisp.com — Happy Easter. Made this? Send us a photo — we'll send you a coupon for 20% off your next order. Comment below or email [email protected]. Enjoy!
