When I was a child, we had a cookbook called “Super Heroes Super Healthy Cookbook”. The best recipe in the book is “Flash’s Quick Apple Crisp”. Oh yes it’s delicious. It’s also often my inspiration for the various crisps I make throughout the year. They are so easily and naturally gluten free that I just change things up according to the season. I can’t recall ever having a crisp with cranberries, but I had some leftover from Thanksgiving so I gave it a whirl. And loved it. Over the holidays I made this a number of times and settled on the following recipe as my favorite winter treat.

Apple and Cranberry Crisp
5 large apples (of mixed varieties), peeled and cored
1 1/2 cups cranberries
2 Tablespoons instant tapioca
juice of 1/2 a lemon + zest
1 cup oats
1/2 cup blanched almonds, sliced or chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
scant 1/2 cup sugar + 3 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons sweet/glutinous rice flour
5 Tablespoons (earthspread)

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut apples in half and then quarter each half. Place apples and cranberries in a 9×13 baking dish. To the fruit, add the 3 Tablespoons sugar, tapioca, and juice of the lemon. Mix and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, place all dry ingredients and mix with a fork. Add the melted butter and zest and mix briefly. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit mixture evenly. If it seems too dry, melt another 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over dry spots.

Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Uncover, turn the heat up to 400 and bake for another 20 minutes. The crisp is done when the apples are tender, the topping is browned and the cranberries are melty.