Winter is here in Northern Minnesota! We finally got our first measurable snow this week. It’s so beautiful.
When it’s about to snow, you can smell it in the air. If you don’t know that scent, it’s sort of like the smell of ice—cold and clean. It smells just like you’d imagine diving into a cold freshwater lake feels. “Refreshing” is a good word for it, I suppose. And I love it.
The arrival of snow means the holidays are about to pounce on us like a cat on a tasty, tasty mouse. So it’s time to get ready.
If you haven’t decided what pies you’re making for your holiday feasts yet, I’ve got a killer new one for you. (And if you have made up your mind, you may want to rethink things after you get a good look at this beauty.)
Say hello to your new favorite holiday dessert—the Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie.
Sweet & Tart—the Best of Both Worlds
In this pie, the sweetness of apples collides with the almost painful tartness of cranberries to create a delicious, not-too-sweet dessert. And with the bright red of the cranberries poking through the crumble topping, it’s ideal for your holiday table.
Normally, I’m a fan of tart apples in my pies. But because we’re adding tart cranberries to the apples in this pie, we want a sweeter apple here. Think honeycrisp, golden delicious, fuji, or another sweet apple you enjoy the taste of.
As for the cranberries, you can use either fresh or frozen in this recipe. If you opt for frozen, though, don’t thaw them first. Toss them into the pie while they’re still frozen. That way, they’ll hold on to their structure as the pie bakes.
There’s one more thing that puts this pie over the top—the cream cheese crust. Yep, we’re putting cream cheese in our pie crust this year. I dare anyone to try and stop us.
This isn’t the typical cardboard-like crust often found in store-bought pies. (I’m convinced people who say they don’t like pie crust just haven’t had a good one yet…but I digress.) The cream cheese adds a tangy creaminess to the finished flavor of the pie, which is rounded out by a sprinkle of vanilla extract. Plus, it adds a lot of moisture, so there’s no need to add water.
Tips for Making Your Best Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie
This pie is made in three parts: the crust, the filling, and the brown sugar crumble topping. I recommend making the crust and the crumble first.
You’ll want to par-bake the pie crust (see recipe for instructions) and let it cool a bit before you add the filling & topping. Let the crumble topping chill while you par-bake the crust and mix up the filling.
Then you can quickly put all three elements together, pop it in the oven, and let it bake. Here are a few more tips to make your best pie:
Cream Cheese Pie Crust:
- Make this crust with COLD butter and cream cheese.
- You can use a pastry cutter to cut in the cold butter and cream cheese, but I like to use my hands to squish and rub them into the flour until they’re in pieces about the size of flattened grapes.
- Because the cream cheese adds so much moisture, you only need to add a tiny bit of liquid (in the form of vanilla extract).
- The crust will be crumbly and a little frustrating to try to get it to come together into a ball. But be patient—don’t add a bunch more liquid. If you can’t get all of the bits to stick to the dough ball, just pile them on top of the flattened disc before you wrap it in plastic to chill. (More detail on that in the recipe)
- Chill the pie dough for 1 hour before rolling it out.
- When you roll it out, it will be a little hard to roll at first. But as you work with it it’ll warm up a little and get softer. Roll it out to a 12-inch circle, then transfer it to your pie dish and crimp the edge.
- New to crimping the edge of your pie crust? Check out this video from Epicurious with a few methods you can use.
- Par-bake your pie crust. Line the crust with parchment paper, fill it to the brim with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. Then bake until it’s starting to brown (but see more detailed instructions in the recipe below). Let it cool a bit before adding the filling & topping, then bake again.
- A word on pie pans: I used a glass pie pan, as you can see in the photos. But I don’t recommend them. Metal or ceramic are MUCH better, and will give you a more evenly baked crust. I only used glass in this case because I keep forgetting to buy myself a 9-inch metal or ceramic pan (all of mine are 10-inch). (Update: I just bought myself one…finally! I decided on this one from Fat Daddio’s.)
Cranberry Apple Filling:
- Thinly slice your apples so they’re not too crunchy in the finished pie, especially if your apples are pretty firm to begin with. I like about 1/4″-thick slices.
- Like I said above, you can use either fresh or frozen cranberries. If you’re using frozen, don’t thaw them first.
- Sort through your cranberries before you mix them with the other filling ingredients, tossing out any that are rotting.
- You’ll need 2 large apples or 3 smaller ones for a total of about 2 cups sliced.
Brown Sugar-Oat Crumble Topping:
- You can use either old-fashioned oats or quick oats, but I prefer quick oats here.
- You could get extra fancy and add some nuts to the crumble if you want. (Pecans would be delicious.)
- As with the crust, you can either use a pastry cutter or your hands to cut the butter into the oat-brown sugar mixture. You want pieces about the same size as in the pie crust—about the size of flattened grapes.
And those are all of my best tips:) If you make this pie, I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Leave a review or comment below and let me know!
Looking for More Holiday Pie Recipes?
If you’re not sure yet which pie you want to make for your holiday table, or if you’re making more than one pie (which I absolutely support), here are a few more to try:
- Apple Slab Pie With Chai Spices and Lemon Drizzle
- My Grandma’s famous Pumpkin Pie
- Maple Pecan Pie
- Brûléed Maple Latte Cheesecake Pie
- Mini Apple Crumble Pies
- Classic Banoffee Pie
- No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
- Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
Wishing you the happiest—and most delicious—holiday season yet!
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Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie
Equipment
- 1 9-inch pie pan
- 1 Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Pie Crust
- 1 c all-purpose flour
- 2 T granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 6 T cold butter, cut into 1" chunks
- 3 oz cold cream cheese, cut into 1" chunks
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Brown Sugar Oat Crumble Topping
- 1/2 c light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 c quick-cooking oatmeal
- 1/3 c all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1/4 c cold butter, cut into 1" chunks
Cranberry Apple Filling
- 2 large sweet apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-in slices, (about 2c)
- 2 c fresh or frozen cranberries, (if frozen, don't thaw before using)
- 2/3 c granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
Cream Cheese Pie Crust
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and cream cheese chunks and toss them a bit until they're covered in flour. Using your fingertips, pinch butter and cream cheese chunks into flour, drizzling in vanilla extract as you work, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.1 c all-purpose flour, 2 T granulated sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 6 T cold butter, cut into 1" chunks, 3 oz cold cream cheese, cut into 1" chunks, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Gather dough into a ball the best you can (it will be fairly dry), and gently knead in the bowl very briefly, about 15 seconds. Flatten into a disc. If you have any bits of dough that won't stick, put them on top. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Brown Sugar Oat Crumble Topping
- In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt. Toss in the cold butter chunks, and use your fingers to rub the butter into the sugar mixture until it's in pea-sized pieces. Chill topping until you're ready to use it.1/2 c light brown sugar,, 1/2 c quick-cooking oatmeal, 1/3 c all-purpose flour, pinch salt, 1/4 c cold butter, cut into 1" chunks
Roll out and par-bake the crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Roll out chilled pie dough on a lightly floured surface until it's about a 12" round. Place in your pie pan and trim the edges so you have about a 1" overhang. Fold the overhang under so you have a clean, thick edge, and crimp the edge however you like. Tip: A simple way to crimp your edges is pressing it with a fork (like you would a peanut butter cookie).
- Par bake your crust like so:Using the tines of a fork, prick the bottom of the pie crust all over. Line the pie crust with a piece of parchment paper, making sure it overhangs the edges of the pan. Fill to the top with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and use the edges of the parchment paper to lift your pie weights out of the pan. Place the crust back into the oven and bake for another 5-6 minutes, or until it is just beginning to brown.
- Remove the crust from the oven, and let it cool minutes while you make the filling.
Cranberry Apple Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, combine apples and cranberries.2 large sweet apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-in slices,, 2 c fresh or frozen cranberries,
- Stir together sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch in a small bowl, then add it to the apples and cranberries. Mix thoroughly.2/3 c granulated sugar, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp cornstarch
- Pour the filling into the par-baked crust. Top with the brown sugar oat crumble.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and topping is beginning to brown. Tip: Check it after 30 minutes, and if the crust edges are getting dark, cover them with strips of foil.
- Remove pie from oven and let it cool completely on a cooling rack. Slice and serve either alone or topped with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
- If you have leftovers, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.