This recipe is a wonderful twist on a classic pie. The filling leans on a mix of apples and fresh or frozen cranberries. The apples soften, the cranberries burst, and together they make a bright-tart mix that never tastes flat or overly sweet. I like a homemade crust, but use a purchased one if short on time.
It's the bridge between autumn baking and holiday season flavors. It works just as well for Thanksgiving as it does for the slower cold days when you want something homey but not predictable.
Fall fruit dessert
This pie is worth adding to your holiday table. It has the coziness of a classic apple pie, but the cranberries wake everything up with that ruby color and sour pop.
It's the festive sibling of this apple pie with raspberries and sesame dough, but with cranberries and a classic all-butter crust.
The filling is cooked briefly to soften the fruits and create a nicer bite.
It can be made ahead, like most pies, and can be served on its own, or warm with a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla or cinnamon ice cream (so good!).
Testing notes
What apples work best? This differs between each person, and while I'm a fan of Granny Smith apples, I also mix in red baking apples for this recipe, which are sweeter and balance the tart cranberries. I like Honeycrisp and Braeburn. Sweet apples alone can also be used, but some people (me included) think it makes the filling too mild.
Frozen or fresh cranberries both work well.
Keep the pie dough cold until you need to roll it. This is important for flakiness. This recipe has several chilling times, which help to prevent sogginess after baking.
Cooked filling: after several tries, I find that pre-cooking it for a few minutes on the stovetop softens the berries and creates a better experience. But if you like a crunchy bite and firmer cranberries, dump the raw mixture into the pie crust without cooking it first.
The fruit amounts in the recipe can be varied, more of this or less of that, especially if you want less tartness and decrease the berries a bit. Always compensate by using more apples, or vice versa.
Process steps
Cook the filling
Use a large pot and cook it briefly. You want to soften the fruit and combine the ingredients. You don't want a fully cooked filling.
Pie crust
You can make it in the food processor or by hand, in a bowl with a pastry cutter. As always, be careful to handle it as little as possible so you get a tender dough after it's baked.
I use my beautiful and classic butter pie crust, where you have all the details. But you can buy one at the store, or use any other traditional crust you love.
Divide the dough
The dough needs to be divided into a larger (for the pan) and a smaller part (for the lattice top).
Cover and refrigerate the smaller portion while you roll the larger one and line the pan.
Line, fill and chill
Have the dough cold before rolling it. Flour the surface as needed and work as quickly as you can so the butter stays cold.
Line the pie plate without stretching the dough.
Add the filling and chill the whole pan. This helps to avoid some sogginess after baking.
Paula's Tip
If you have broken strips, patch them together. If you're apprehensive about the lattice, I recommend you roll it on parchment paper, cut it and take it back to the fridge for a few minutes for it to harden and lift easily. Don't let it chill so much that it starts to dry out.
Or omit stripes and go all-in with stars, hearts, or just rounds of dough, as I do for this Linzer tart. Use regular cookie cutters.
Lattice top
Intertwine the strips, starting at the center with the longer ones. Pinch the ends so they adhere to the bottom crust and keep their place during baking.
Sprinkle and bake
Brush the top dough strips first with water or milk and then sprinkle the brown sugar. It will caramelize as it bakes.
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Apple Cranberry Pie with Lattice Crust
Ingredients
- 1 recipe all-butter pie crust, homemade or store-bought
For the filling:
- 1 pound Granny Smith apples, about 3, peeled, cored and sliced
- ½ pound cranberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- Make 1 recipe all-butter pie crust as instructed till step 6, covered and chilled in the fridge before you start with the rest.
For the filling:
- In a large saucepan, put 1 pound Granny Smith apples, ½ pound cranberries, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, ½ teaspoon orange zest and 1 tablespoon butter and cook over low heat until butter melts and fruit begins to release their juices, about 3-5 minutes, stirring often so the flour doesn't clump. Don't let the apples soften too much.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a shallow dish to cool while rolling the dough. Don't use a deep bowl, or it will not cool down fast. If not using immediately, let cool and keep refrigerated, covered, for a few days.
To assemble:
- When the filling is cooling, take the cold dough from the refrigerator and divide it into two uneven pieces (⅔ and ⅓). Keep the smaller piece refrigerated and covered while you roll the other one.
- Roll the large piece to about ¼ of an inch with a lightly floured rolling pin, using additional flour to prevent sticking.
- Transfer it to a 9-inch (24cm) pie plate with a removable bottom. It is best to make it fit in the pan without stretching it, removing excess dough. Refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes before filling. Meanwhile, stir the filling so it cools down faster.
- Add the cooled apple filling to the cold lined pan and spread to cover the whole pan. Freeze the pie plate for 10-15 minutes (or refrigerate for 30 minutes if you have no other option).
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200°C).
- When ready, roll the small piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and cut strips with a pizza cutter.
- Make a lattice top crust over the filling, adding strips one way and then the other, creating a crisscross pattern. Press where the strips meet the bottom dough to adhere.
- Take the pie from the freezer or refrigerator, brush with water or milk and sprinkle 2 tablespoons light brown sugar on top of the lattice.
- Bake in the middle rack for about 20 minutes and then turn the oven temperature down to 350ºF (180°C) and bake for 20-25 more minutes, or until golden and the filling is bubbly. If the top is browning too quickly, cover the edges with foil (not the center, so the steam can evaporate).
- Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut cold if possible, after refrigerating it and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
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