Bursting with juicy cranberries and sweet orange chunks, this pecan and oat topped cranberry crisp works as a sweet and indulgent side dish, as well as a light dessert.

This dish is going to be my contribution to my family's Thanksgiving table, well one of my contributions anyhow. I'll be bringing along some of these corn muffins as well, and maybe one or two other dishes that have yet to be determined.
I've been making some version of this dish for several years now. A family friend introduced me to the dish, and over the years I've made a few tweaks and additions, until eventually the recipe you see before you was born. This version is also healthier than the original, which included more sugar, some flour and margarine. Don't be fooled though; this dish is suitable for use as a side dish or a dessert. It's indulgent. I'm serving it as a side, and I wouldn't dream of doing so any other day of the year besides Thanksgiving.
In any event, this stuff is delicious. And let's be real, sugary or not, do you really think canned cranberry sauce is a healthier alternative? I didn't think so.
Serve this as a side, or serve it as a dessert, or heck, you could even eat this one for breakfast. It'll be delicious however you choose to eat it.
This post originally published on Connoisseurus Veg on November 22, 2013.
Orange Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
For the Base
- 12 oz fresh cranberries, about 3 cups
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh oranges, about 2 medium oranges
- ¼ to ½ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar, see note
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ tsp. orange zest
- ¼ tsp. salt
For the Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup shelled pecans
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- dash nutmeg
- pinch salt
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.
-
Mix base ingredients and distribute evenly in baking dish. (You can mix them right in the dish if you'd like!)
-
Mix topping ingredients in small mixing bowl and sprinkle on top of cranberry mixture.
-
Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until cranberries begin to pop and mixture gets bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool before digging in.
Recipe Notes
I recently updated this recipe and lowered the sugar content a bit. The original version called for ½ cup sugar in the base, but these days I prefer it a bit less sweet, so I go with ¼ cup.
I make a similar dish with apples and mixed berries :) I love the interesting combo of orange and cranberry here. Perfect for Thanksgiving.
Agreed! Orange and cranberry is one of my favorite flavor combinations for the holidays. :)