CranApple Deep Dish Tart

This delicious combination of apple pie and apple crisp are worth the little extra effort and is the perfect autumn and winter dessert. I made this recipe and was going to share it with everyone this past fall but a lot has been happening over the past few months. My husband went through major surgery (having part of his pancreas removed), which took a long time to recover from-- but we are thankful that it was not cancerous. Now that everything is settling down, I hope to get back to sharing a few recipes that I have enjoyed lately.

I had an inspiration for this recipe when I was making an apple dessert and couldn't decide if I wanted to make apple pie or apple crisp. Since then, I have seen a number of apple pan pie recipes but nothing quite like this. The great thing about this recipe is that you can substitute many other fruits for the cranberries, fresh or dried. If you use dried fruits, plump them up some by covering them with water and heating them for about 5-10 minutes. Of course, this dish is just asking for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, too! Since I used cranberries, it is a little tart. So if you like your dessert very sweet, increase the brown or white sugar.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• Single unbaked pie crust pastry for 10 inch pie
• 3 pounds apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 ½-2 tsp apple pie spice
• 2 Tbsp minute tapioca
• 3 Tbsp water
• 2 cups or ½ bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen (or may use 1 cup dried craisins) 
Topping:
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup flour
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Roll out the pie crust to fit 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan and spread out in pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugars, spice, tapioca, water and cranberries. Put mixture in pie crust.
3. Prepare topping by mixing dry ingredients and cutting in the butter, adding the oil until mixture clumps together. Put topping over the apples and fold the edges of the pie crust over top of the sides of the pie.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40-50 minutes or until the pie is bubbling and apples are tender.
5. May drizzle with caramel sauce or glaze made of 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk and 1/8 tsp cinnamon and/or top with whipped cream or ice cream.