Stacy Nelson-Heising was a professional chef before operating her own orchard, cidery, and restaurant on her family’s fourth-generation farm near Ayr, about 20 miles northeast of Tower City. These apple-forward recipes are perfect for winter and trust us, Stacy’s apple cranberry crisp belongs on your table!
Recipes by Stacy Nelson-Heising, Cottonwood Farm and Cider House
Apple cranberry crisp
Ingredients:
Fruit base:
- 2 Cups fresh cranberries
- 1 Cup sugar
- 1 Cup hard cider, such as Cottonwood Cider House’s “The Action,” cranberry or apple juice
- 4-5 Pounds room-temperature apples, about 12-15*
- ¼ Cup flour
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ Cup sugar
Oat crumble topping:
- 1 Cup regular old-fashioned oats
- 1 Cup flour
- 1 Cup sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ Cup room-temperature butter
Preparation:
- Combine cranberries, 1 cup of sugar, and hard cider over medium heat. Cook mixture until cranberries begin to burst and thicken a bit, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Peel, core, and dice apples. Toss apples with flour, cinnamon, ½ cup sugar, and cranberry mixture. Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Stir, then bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- While the apple-cranberry mixture is baking, prepare the topping. Combine all topping ingredients together, mixing until crumbly. Put on top of pre-baked fruit. Bake an additional 20-30 minutes until the topping is browned and crispy. Serve warm or at room temperature with real whipped cream or ice cream.
* Try Haralson, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith varieties.