Fall Fruit Crumble

It is no secret that I have a sweet tooth.  I will eat a smaller dinner to save room for dessert if a yummy treat is planned.  And right now with the crisp, fall air a crumble or a crisp just sounds so very good! 

I had bookmarked this fall crumble recipe as soon as I stumbled upon it and made sure to pick up the ingredients right away... then for a series of reasons (one of which included eating way to much for dinner to even think about making a dessert) it was several days before we could fit it in.  And it was so very good that I am afraid to say that we finished the entire thing ourselves!  I couldn't stop sneaking bites! The combination of flavors is just perfect.  And the crumbly top? That too is perfectly balanced with the fruity filling. 

Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing for this recipe (other than rounding up the vanilla to 1 full teaspoon) and I would definitely recommend fitting it into your cooking plans as soon as you can.  It did take a bit longer than 20 minutes for us (but our oven is wonky).  It is wonderful.

Fall Fruit Crumble

Source: Gourmet
Serves 6

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
2 firm-ripe pears such as Bartlett, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 apples such as Gala, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Stir together fruits, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla and place in a buttered shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Stir together oats, flour, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture forms small clumps. Scatter over fruit and bake until juices are bubbling and topping is golden brown, about 20-35 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

* Update: I completely forgot to mention this earlier, but this is also a super fast dessert recipe.  Seriously only takes minutes to stir up and then bake.  Perfect for a little team work- I stirred it up while Dan did the dishes from dinner and then we watched a show while it baked... makes for a nice finish to a mid-week day!

~ Tara