Apple-Cranberry Crisp with Polenta Streusel Topping

From the kitchen of Carly

Tart apples and cranberries meet a crunchy polenta streusel spiked with aniseed in this crisp that's textured, warming, and deeply satisfying. The cornmeal topping adds grit and personality alongside buttery, golden crumbles.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp with Polenta Streusel Topping

Crisp desserts live or die by their topping, and polenta streusel changes the game: cornmeal adds crunch, aniseed brings a subtle licorice note, and butter binds it all into golden clusters. Tart cranberries and sweet apples with citrus and spice fill the dish underneath, so you get that textural contrast in every spoonful. Warm from the oven with melting gelato.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 tspaniseed
  • 1 1/2 cuppastry flour
  • 3/4 cuppolenta *
  • 1/2 cupsugar
  • 1 1/2 tspbaking powder
  • 1/4 tspsalt
  • 1/2 cupchilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 largeegg, beaten to blend
  • 2 cupfresh cranberries
  • 2/3 cupsugar
  • 2/3 cupgolden brown sugar
  • 2 tspfinely grated lemon peel
  • 1 1/2 tspfinely grated orange peel
  • 1 tspground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tspsalt
  • 1/4 tspfreshly ground black pepper
  • 2 lbGranny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 tbspfresh lemon juice
  • 1Vanilla gelato or ice cream

Instructions

  1. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the aniseed until it deepens slightly in color, about 3 minutes. Tip the seeds into a food processor, then add the next 5 ingredients and pulse for 5 seconds. Drop in the butter and pulse in short on/off bursts until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Scrape everything into a large bowl, drizzle the beaten egg over the top, and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened.

  2. Heat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine the first 8 filling ingredients and stir to bring them together. Add the apples and lemon juice, toss well, then transfer the whole thing to an 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish or any shallow 2-quart baking dish.

  3. Crumble the streusel topping finely and evenly over the fruit. Bake for about 1 hour, until the apples are tender, the juices are bubbling thickly around the edges, and the topping has turned crisp and golden. Let the crisp cool for 15 minutes before serving it warm alongside vanilla gelato or ice cream.

  4. Coarse cornmeal polenta is sold at some supermarkets as well as natural foods stores and Italian markets.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Toast the aniseed first. Those three minutes matter: it wakes up the flavor and keeps the streusel from tasting raw or flat.
  • Don't skip the orange and lemon peel. They're finely grated, which means they dissolve into the fruit filling and brighten everything without being chewy or aggressive.
  • Crumble the topping by hand over the filling rather than pressing it down. Looser crumbles stay crispier; a packed layer gets dense and cake-like as it bakes.

Variations

  • Swap the cranberries for fresh or frozen blackberries if you want deeper, jammy notes without the tartness.
  • Use all apples, no cranberries, and add a handful of fresh thyme to the filling for a more savory-leaning fall dessert.
  • Replace half the polenta with chopped almonds or hazelnuts for extra crunch and richness in the topping.

Make ahead and storage

Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes to restore crispness to the topping; freezing is not recommended because the streusel texture suffers.