Cranberry Crunch

During November, we always have lots of fresh cranberries available in the produce department, which means it's time to make Cranberry Crunch! I love to make this cobbler; it's simple and quick to put together and has less sugar and fat than most cobbler recipes (although I will say it is even more delicious with some vanilla ice cream). The recipe comes from the American Wholefoods Cuisine Cookbook. The cranberries retain their delightful tartness and have an awesome cherry-like texture when cooked as the recipe instructs. I also sliced up a small apple and a fuyu persimmon that had seen better days and added them to the original recipe. Cobbler is the perfect vehicle for using up fruit that is past its prime, so if you ever have apples, plums, etc that need to be used up, throw them into a cobbler with more expensive fruit like berries- they'll blend right in and often add some nice textural contrast too.

Cranberry Crunch
adapted from American Wholefoods Cuisine
2 cups fresh cranberries (frozen cranberries that have been thawed will also work)
1 small apple, cut into small pieces (optional)
1 fuyu persimmon, cut into small pieces (optional)
1/3 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs oil
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs molasses
Preheat oven to 350F
Combine berries and 1/3 cup honey in a small pot and boil gently until berries pop, about 5 minutes. Pour into a 8 or 9 inch glass baking dish (don't use a metal baking dish, it will make the berries taste metallic).  If you are using the apple and/or the persimmon, stir these in with the cranberries.
In separate bowl, combine oats, flour, and cinnamon, and cut in oil and butter with a pastry blender or wire whisk to an even consistency. Scatter on top of berries. Mix remaining 2 tablespoons of honey with molasses and drizzle evenly over topping.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Serve warm or room temperature.