A hot cozy bubbling mix of baked apples and cranberries is cooked with a cakey cobbler topping to make the perfect Thanksgiving apple dessert. Warm spices, brown sugar, and a dash of Grand Marnier liqueur slowly wake up the fruits in the oven. They bake hot and tender for an easy warm dessert that will give everyone a true taste of the holidays.
An Easy Holiday Dessert inspired by good memories
Growing up, every fall my mom and my aunt would take my cousin Tony and I apple picking at a place called Wauconda Orchards. We would come back with bags full of apples, and within the week, end up baking my aunt’s favorite apple cobbler.
We would cut the apples into thin slices and toss them with cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon, and just a dab of almond extract to round out the flavors. She would mix together an almost buiscuit-like topping and dot with butter. It would puff up gently in the oven. Served up in big scoops with ice cream piled high in the bowl, it was the highlight of every September.
Drawing inspiration from my aunt’s simple cobbler recipe, I wanted to share something similar with simple warm flavors inspired by the holidays. I wanted something you can bake up on the fly with simple ingredients, pour into a baking dish, and take from oven to table.
I kept the apples, added cranberries for contrast and color, and replaced the almond extract with splashes of elegant orange Grand Marnier liqueur (which really complements the fruits).
A splash of Grand Marnier will macerate the fruits and add depth
Building on what I mentioned above, what makes this simple hot cobbler classic dessert so special is that easy splash of French liqueur. It’s a rich and delicious cognac orange liqueur that adds depth and character to the fruits in the apple filling, bringing out their intensity and full range of flavors.
It’s a simple touch, but as the fruits macerate lightly in the bowl with splashes of Grand Marnier, brown sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, orange zest, and cinnamon, they slowly loosen and develop their flavors. It helps to create a warm and cozy baked holiday dessert that you can serve a little later on after Thanksgiving dinner.
Each hearty slice of this easy apple dessert needs nothing more than a scoop of vanilla ice cream to finish it all off.
To make this simple and cozy Thanksgiving apple dessert with cranberries, you’ll need fresh apples, frozen cranberries, and just a handful of ingredients for that baked cobbler topping…
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Ingredients To Make an Easy Thanksgiving Cranberry Apple Cobbler Dessert
- Frozen cranberries
- Red apples – your favorite red baking apples. Some of the best apples for baking such as Gala apples or Honey Crisp apples
- Grand Marnier liqueur – for tossing in with baked fruit
- Cinnamon – for tossing in with baked fruit
- Brown sugar – for cobbler topping plus the fruit mixture
- Orange juice – for tossing in with baked fruit
- Orange zest – for tossing in with baked fruit
- Lemon juice – for tossing in with baked fruit
- All-purpose flour – for cobbler topping
- Salt – for cobbler topping
- Baking powder – for cobbler topping
- White Sugar – for cobbler topping
- Vanilla extract – for cobbler topping
- Melted butter – for cobbler topping
- Milk – for cobbler topping
- Egg – for cobbler topping
How To Make This Easy Cranberry Apple Cobbler Thanksgiving Dessert
That baked cobbler topping puffs up lightly as it bakes in the oven. It makes a cozy cake-like top for all that delicious holiday fruit beneath. This is one of my family’s favorite apple desserts to enjoy throughout the cold season.
It’s easier than most apple pie recipes since you don’t have to fuss over a crust. Additionally, instead of a crumble topping, you get a golden brown cobbler topping that is more reminiscent of an apple cake with a hot bubbling apple layer beneath.
SErve as a satisfying warm dessert to kick off the holiday season
The cooked cranberries add fruity tartness and deep ruby red color to the filling while bringing balance to the sweet spiced apples. The whole thing is pulled together by that cobbler batter we whisked up in minutes and poured over the top.
Everything bakes in one neat little dish. If you’re ‘baking and taking,’ this easy dessert will travel well, too. Just cover with foil (plus maybe an extra layer of cling wrap to prevent leaking). Grab it by the handles, and take it to the car. I like to place a folded towel beneath my baking dishes and then gently place in the car to help cushion and prevent slipping.
Serve this cozy cranberry apple cobbler dessert in the fall during apple season. Definitely serve it throughout the holiday season, at Thanksgiving dinner, and at Christmas!
If you’re looking for something a bit more bite-sized, try these simple pumpkin pecan puff pastry pinwheels, or this rustic puff pastry pumpkin apple tart!
Cozy Cranberry Apple Cobbler Thanksgiving Apple Dessert
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup Frozen Cranberries - that have been thawed
- 5 to 6 whole Red Apples - bite size cubed – such as Gala or Honey Crisp
- 1 tbsp Orange Juice
- 1 tsp Orange Zest
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Grand Marnier Liqueur
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1¾ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar - plus 1 tbsp and 1 tsp more for tossing in with fruit
- ½ cup White Sugar
- ½ tsp Fine Salt
- 1½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- â…“ cup Melted Butter
- ¾ cup Milk
- 1 whole Egg
Instructions
- Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees F. Â Use softened butter to butter a medium baking dish. Set aside.
- Peel and core 5 to 6 apples, removing centers. Cut apples then cut into cubes. Toss apples into a large bowl. To the same bowl with the apples, add 1 cup plus 1/4 cup thawed cranberries. Â Toss cranberries and apples with 1 tsp orange zest, 1 tbsp orange juice, 1 tbsp + 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tbsp Grand Marnier liqueur. Â Let sit and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients. Â Sprinkle in all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt then whisk together briefly and set aside. Â
- In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients. Â Pour in the egg, milk, vanilla, melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Â Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Â
- Returning to the bowl with the dry flour mixture, pour the melted butter, milk, and egg mixture into the flour mix. Â Whisk these all together to combine.
- Add the chopped apples and cranberry fruit mixture to your buttered baking dish. Then, immediately pour the whisked wet cobbler batter over the cranberry and apple fruit.
- Bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Bake as needed until the topping is set all over with golden brown edges all around. Â The fruit beneath should be cooked through and tender with some of the juices bubbling up the sides.
- To serve, let cool on the kitchen counter for 10 to 15 minutes. Â While still warm, scoop up generous slices of the baked apple cobbler dessert into small bowls. Top with a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream.
