You can have your raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

My favorite things run more along the lines of cranberries, green apples, marshmallows and glitter. And this side dish has the first three. Plus sugar and Cool Whip. It’s basically perfect.

If you read my old blog, you’ve seen this recipe before, and you also probably know that my brother and I call this “crapple,” which irritates the heck out of my mother. I will concede that cranberry-apple fluff sounds exponentially more appetizing, even though it has several more syllables.

Despite the Cool Whip, marshmallows and sugar, this really is supposed to be a side dish. You could make it a dessert (or a breakfast!), though, if you can’t handle marshmallows in side dishes.

You don’t have to cut off the apple peel, but you do need to mix the cranberry and apple pieces together with the sugar a half hour or so ahead of time. Just make sure you don’t mix in the marshmallows and Cool Whip (or real whipped cream, if you’re so inclined) until just before serving.

Cranberry-apple fluff (Serves 8-12)
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries (frozen is OK, but you’ll need to thaw them for a half hour or so before using)
3 Granny Smith (or other tart) apples
3/4 cup sugar
1  1/2 to 2 cups mini marshmallows
8-ounce package of Cool Whip (thawed), or regular whipped cream

Rinse cranberries and pick out any stems or gross/squishy looking ones. Pour the rest of the cranberries in a food processor. Pulse until the cranberries are all in pieces. Rinse, core and cut the apples into small pieces. Stir the cranberry and apples pieces together with the sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in about 6 ounces of the Cool Whip and 1  1/2 cups of the mini marshmallows. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers, and add additional marshmallows and Cool Whip for later servings.