Pioneer Woman Cranberry Crisp

Tart cranberries baked under a buttery oat and pecan topping with white chocolate chips melted on at the very end make this Pioneer Woman cranberry crisp a standout holiday dessert. Flavored with orange zest, fresh orange juice, and ground ginger, it bakes at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes. The recipe serves eight and comes together in under 20 minutes of prep.

Ree cuts cold butter into the flour and oats with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like cookie dough, not breadcrumbs. That thick, chunky texture is what gives the topping its crunchy, golden bite after baking. The cranberry filling gets tossed with cornstarch and brown sugar before it goes in the dish, which thickens the juices as they bubble so the crisp isn’t swimming in liquid when you scoop it out.

Ree holds the white chocolate chips back until the last 5 to 10 minutes so they soften and get glossy without fully melting into the topping and disappearing. She uses both orange zest and juice in the filling because the zest gives you that sharp citrus punch while the juice adds sweetness and loosens the filling so it cooks evenly. Ten minutes of resting after it comes out of the oven lets the filling thicken up so it holds together on the plate.

Pioneer Woman Cranberry Crisp

Author: Hamdi Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:American Courses:Dessert

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 45 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 55 minutesCooking Temp: CServings:4 servingsEstimated Cost: $Calories: kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A tart cranberry crisp with a buttery oat and pecan topping, finished with white chocolate chips and served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

For the Topping:

• 1 stick salted butter, cubed, plus more for the dish
  
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  
• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
  
• ¼ cup white chocolate chips

For the Filling:

• 5 cups cranberries, thawed if frozen (about 18 ounces)
  
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  
• Grated zest of 1 orange, plus ¼ cup juice
  
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish.
   
2. For the topping, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, and ginger in a medium bowl. Add the cubed butter and use a pastry blender or two forks to cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like cookie dough. Add the pecans and work them in with your hands until evenly combined.
   
3. For the filling, combine the cranberries, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and ginger in a medium bowl. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
   
4. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling.
   
5. Bake for 45 minutes.
   
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the top. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
   
7. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

FAQs

What should I serve cranberry crisp with besides ice cream?

Whipped cream works if you want something lighter, and a drizzle of warm caramel sauce over the top takes it in a completely different direction. For Thanksgiving, it’s great sitting next to pumpkin pie because the tart cranberry cuts through all the sweetness on the table. Some people skip dessert plates entirely and just scoop it straight into coffee mugs with a spoon.

Can I use a different fruit if cranberries aren’t in season?

Mixed berries, chopped apples, or rhubarb all work with the same topping and bake time. The key is adjusting the sugar in the filling since cranberries are much more tart than most fruits. If you switch to blueberries or peaches, cut the brown sugar in the filling by about a third or the whole thing will taste like candy.

The white chocolate chips melted completely and disappeared into the topping. What happened?

They went in too early. You have to wait until the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking so they soften and go slightly glossy without fully melting. If the topping is already deep golden when you pull it out to add the chips, tent the dish with foil before putting it back in so the chips warm through without the oats burning.

Can I prep this the night before and bake it in the morning?

You can assemble the filling in the dish and keep the topping in a separate bowl in the fridge overnight. Don’t put the topping on until you’re ready to bake, because it absorbs moisture from the fruit and loses its crunch. In the morning, scatter the cold topping over the filling and bake as written. It might need an extra 5 minutes since everything starts cold.

What other cranberry recipes are good for Thanksgiving?

Homemade cranberry sauce is the obvious one and it takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. Cranberry bread is a solid option if you want something baked that doubles as breakfast the next morning. And the no-bake cranberry pie is worth trying if your oven is already full of other things and you need a dessert that just chills in the fridge.