Cranberry Apple Crisp

Our default autumn dessert is just about the best thing ever, and dead easy.

Fill a 9x13 pan with the following:

1 bag cranberries, rinsed and picked over
apples, chopped, enough to fill the pan
ginger, grated
2T sugar
pinch of salt
1 lemon, juiced
spices of your choice (cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, etc.)

Mix fruit and seasonings together and dump into the baking pan.

I use my KitchenAid mixer for this, but you can use a wooden spoon if you like. It builds strong arm muscles as well as character. Note that all measurements are approximate; I usually work by the highly technical "dump and taste" method.

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
~2/3c brown sugar
vanilla
teaspoon chocolate mocha cocoa powder (optional)
tablespoon peanut butter (optional)
spices (allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, garam masala, etc)
nuts (almonds, pecans, macadamias, peanuts, coconut, etc)
~1/2c rolled oats
~1 1/2c flour

Cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the flavoring agents and nuts. Stir in the oats, then add flour until the mixture forms a thick, crumbly mass.

Crumble the topping over the fruit, making sure the entire surface si reasonably covered. Don't pack it too thickly- you want air and liquid to be able to bubble up and escape during the cooking process.

Bake at 350F until golden brown on top.

When the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges, remove the pan and let it sit and coagulate for a few minutes.

I think crisps and crumbles are best served warm with vanilla ice cream, but they also do well cold for breakfast the next morning if you can squirrel some away.