Cranberry Apple Pie

Cranberries add a hint of tartness to this classic fruit pie.

Cranberry Apple Pie
Photo: Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Active Time:
40 mins
Cool Time:
2 hrs
Total Time:
4 hrs 15 mins
Servings:
8

It takes a lot to improve the old-fashioned apple pie . Warm, comforting, and inviting, an apple pie is welcome at picnics and potlucks, holiday gatherings and house warmings.

But in the fall, when we turn our eyes toward desserts like pumpkin pie and caramel cake , adding cranberries to apple pie feels like a natural choice. Tart and juicy cranberries complement the sweetness of the apples beautifully without making the pie sour.

Here, learn how to make this classic Cranberry Apple Pie and how to store it so it stays fresh until the last bite.

How to Make Cranberry Apple Pie

You'll need more than four hours to make this apple and cranberry pie recipe, but only about 40 minutes of that is active cook time. The rest is for baking and cooling.

First, place a packaged pie crust into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold the extra crust under and around the edges, and then place the plate into the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes while preparing the next steps.

pie crust in a pie plate
Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Roll the remaining pie crust out onto a floured work surface into a 12-inch round, and place this on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cut the dough into strips and weave them to form a lattice pattern. Freeze this uncovered, for a minimum of 12 minutes, while preparing the pie filling.

lattice pie crust for cranberry apple pie
Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Preheat the oven to 425°F. While it's preheating, place a parchment-lined baking sheet on a rack in the center position.

Stir together the apples , cranberries , brown sugar, apple butter , cornstarch, orange juice, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and sugar, tossing the mixture to coat the apples.

apple cranberry pie mixture in a bowl
Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Spoon the apple mixture into the pie crust, mounding it in the center and scattering cubes of butter over the top.

cranberry apple pie in crust
Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Remove the lattice from the freezer. Whisk the egg and water together, and brush the mixture over the crust and lattice on the baking sheet.

Cover the filling with the lattice, trimming off the overhanging dough before pressing down to seal and crimping the edges as you like.

Note: It's important to get a good seal so the crust gets crispy and the juices stay inside.) Sprinkle the top of the pie with the remaining sugar.

cranberry apple pie ready to be baked
Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Place the pie on the baking sheet, and bake it in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and bake until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Use foil when necessary to prevent too much browning.)

Cranberry Apple Pie
Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Let the pie cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer it to a wire rack until completely cool.

Apple Cranberry Pie Ingredients

To make apple cranberry pie, you will need:

- a package of refrigerated pie crusts along
- all-purpose flour for the work surface
- Granny Smith apples
- fresh or frozen cranberries
- dark brown sugar
- apple butter
- cornstarch
- fresh orange juice
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- salt
- granulated sugar
- unsalted butter
- egg
- water

What Does Cranberry Apple Pie Taste Like?

In this flavorful apple pie recipe, the tart cranberries and apples soften, and the flavors merge together. The warm spices and brown sugar balance the tartness of the cranberries and apples, and the sugar sprinkled on top provides balance for the sweet, buttery crust.

The apple butter in this recipe adds depth to the flavor. Overall, this pie's rich flavor and pretty presentation make it perfect for the holidays.

How to Tell When Apple Pie Is Done

When this cranberry apple pie is done, the crust will be golden brown and the filling uniformly bubbly. Allowing the pie to cool properly matters to the result, too: This pie is best after it's fully cooled and you can get a perfect slice on the bottom.

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin .

Ingredients

  • 1 (14.1-oz.) pkg. refrigerated piecrusts (such as Pillsbury), divided

  • All-purpose flour, for work surface

  • 4 medium (8 oz. each) Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced 1/4-in. thick (6 to 7 cups)

  • 2 cups (8 oz.) fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries

  • ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

  • ¼ cup apple butter (such as Smucker's)

  • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch

  • 2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice (from 1 medium orange)

  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

  • ½ tsp. ground ginger

  • tsp. kosher salt

  • ¼ cup, plus 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided

  • 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 1 Tbsp. water

Directions

  1. Place 1 of the piecrusts into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold excess crust under, around edges. Refrigerate while preparing lattice and filling, at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.

  2. Roll remaining piecrust out on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch round, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cut dough into 10 (1-inch) strips. Thread the pie dough strips over and under one another to form a lattice. Freeze, uncovered, while making the filling, at least 12 minutes or up to 1 hour.

  3. Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in center position. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on rack while oven preheats. Stir together apples, cranberries, brown sugar, apple butter, cornstarch, orange juice, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar in a large bowl, tossing to fully coat apples. Immediately remove piecrust from refrigerator and lattice top from freezer; spoon apple mixture into prepared piecrust, scraping out juices from bottom of bowl, and mounding apple mixture in center. Scatter cubes of butter over filling. Whisk together egg and water in a small bowl; gently brush over crust edges and lattice on baking sheet. Place the lattice top over the filling, adjusting carefully to make sure the lattice is even. Trim overhang dough with scissors or sharp knife, and discard. Press edges of lattice strips into crust edge to seal. Gently crimp edge decoratively. Sprinkle top of pie evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

  4. Place pie plate on preheated baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and bake until crust has browned and filling is bubbly throughout, about 1 hour, 15 minutes, shielding crust with foil as needed to prevent overbrowning. Let cool 30 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

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