In the past 5 years that I’ve been blogging, I’ve gone from wildly intimidated by pie crust to this braided + latticed beauty. It’s taken some practice and even more shriveled mistakes (literally shriveled), but I want to show you that it’s possible. And it certainly won’t take YOU 5 years to get here.
This apple cranberry pie is why I love baking (and eating!) dessert so much. Not only is apple pie my favorite dessert to eat, it’s my favorite dessert to bake. Making the dough from scratch, creating beautiful decorations for the crust, and playing around with filling flavors is the best. The entire process is almost therapeutic. Do you feel that way about baking too? It soothes my soul.
To get started, you need homemade pie crust. In the sake of time and to prevent my fingers from falling off, I won’t repeat why this homemade buttery flaky pie crust is my favorite. You could use my all butter pie crust, too. I always make the crust the night before to save time the next day. Or, better yet, make the pie crust today, freeze it, then put it in the refrigerator the night before making the pie. Save even more time later!
My number 1 tip? Keep the dough in the refrigerator anytime you are not working directly with it. So after you roll out the bottom crust and place it into the pie dish, stick it in the refrigerator. When you’re waiting for the oven to preheat, stick the whole thing in the refrigerator, etc etc.
The filling is easy and made from fresh (or frozen!) cranberries, about 3โ4 apples, sugar, cornstarch, and spices. You know what pairs well with cranberries? Orange. Add a little orange zest to the pie, just like I do with another Thanksgiving classicโcranberry sauce. The flavor is unreal. For even more mass appeal, dot the filling with butter before arranging the top crust. Buttery, cinnamon-spiced, and orange-scented apple cranberry filling.
You see all this? โ โ Put it in the refrigerator while you roll out the top crust.
Now, I do not expect you to make an intricate pie crust like this, but it was pretty fun! Steph, my assistant, came over and we baked this pie together. If you want to recreate this design, here’s what you need: apple cookie cutter and this ribbon cutter set. It’s actually a fondant cutter set, but works for cutting scalloped or super thin (and even!) lines in pie dough.
We used a lattice pie crust topping and braided detail. The braid is actually just placed around the edgesโjust slightly press it down onto the edge. We made the braid in two sections, then just placed an apple shape over where the two braids connect to hide it. (Sneaky!) Here’s my tutorial for how to braid pie crust.
If you plan to make a lattice + braid + apple shapes, I recommend having an extra pie crust on hand just to make sure you have enough pie dough to work with. You should really stock your freezer with pie dough now. You know, for braided lattice apple cranberry pie emergencies. Those exist, right?
If you don’t want to make a braided edge, you can crimp or flute the pie crust instead. Or if you want to skip the top crust completely, try this apple cranberry crumble pie.
Brush the whole top with egg wash, place the pie in the fridge while the oven preheats, then bake.
But none of this detail works unless the pie tastes good. You remember that buttery cinnamon-spiced apple orange-scented cranberry business I mentioned up there? Of course it tastes good! You’ll love how the tart cranberries balance out the sweet cinnamon apples. It’s like Thanksgiving gave you a big warm hug. And then you ate it. That was a disturbing comparison, but hopefully you get me.
If youโre looking for more pie inspiration, here are all of our favorite Thanksgiving pies. Looking for an apple pie-like treat in a fraction of the time? Try my apple crisp, apple cobbler, or apple galette instead.
Other Favorite Pie Recipes
- Peach Pie & Blueberry Pie
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Cherry Pie
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Cranberry Frangipane Tart (naturally gluten free!)
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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Apple Cranberry Pie
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 7 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Cranberries, apples, cinnamon spice, and a buttery homemade pie crust makes this apple cranberry pie one of my favorite fall recipes.
Ingredients
- homemade pie crust (my recipe makes 2 crusts; 1 for bottom 1 for top)*
- 3 large apples, cored, peeled, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices (about 6โ7 cups of slices, or 750โ875g)
- 1 and 1/2ย cups (187g) fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (14g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
Instructions
- The crust: Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5.
- Make the filling:ย Stir the apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set filling aside as the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven toย 400ยฐF (204ยฐC).
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the filling into the crust, leaving any excess liquid in the bowl (you don’t want that in the fillingโdiscard it). Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling. Stick in the refrigerator until ready to cut the lattice.
- Arrangeย the lattice:ย Remove the other discย of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, pizza cutter, or this fun ribbon cutter, cut strips 1 or 2 inches wide. Remove the pie from the refrigerator and carefully thread the pie dough strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small knife to trim off excess dough. Crimp or flute the pie crust edges. See recipe notes for making the braid or apple shapes! (Alternatively, you can simply cover the filling with the 12-inch pie dough circle. Cut slits in the top to form steam vents. Trim and crimp the edges. Or crumble topping (from apple crumble pie) or streusel topping (from peach pecan crisp) would be great as well.)
- Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash mixture.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC)ย and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie toย prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
- Allow the pie to cool for 3ย full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Cover leftovers tightly and storeย in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: A couple ways to make ahead of time! Make 1 day in advanceโafter it cools, cover tightly and keep at room temperature. The pie crust dough can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baked pie also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Prepared filling can also be frozen up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Peeler | Citrus Zester | Glass Mixing Bowl | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Pizza Cutter, Pastry Wheel, or Ribbon Cutter | Pastry Brush | Pie Crust Shield |ย Fall Shapes Pie Crust Cutters
- Apple Cranberry Almond Pie: You can add a layer of delicious almond flavor to this pie. Before you spoon the apple cranberry filling into the crust, flatten 7 ounces (198g) of Odense Almond Paste into an 8-inch disc, and place it on top of the pie dough. Then, layer the apple cranberry filling on top. Baking instructions remain the same.
- 3 Pie Crusts: If you’d like to make the apple shapes and/or the braided edge, I recommend working with 3 pie crusts in total. 1 for the bottom, 1 for the lattice, and 1 for the braid + apples. So make my pie crust recipe twice.
- Pie Crust Apples: On a floured work surface, roll the crust out into a large circle, aboutย 1/8 inch thickness. Using anย apple cookie cutter, cut into shapes. Place directly on top of pie crust before baking OR bake separately. To bake separately, brush each lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar (that’s optional). Place onto a parchment paper or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet and bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside to cool before decorating pie.
- Braided Pie Crust Edge: With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut six 14-inch-long, 1/4-inch-wide strips. Gently braidย three strips. Brush edge of crust with egg wash, then carefully place braid around half of the pie and press lightly to secure. Repeat with remaining strips, then attach the two braids by pressing one into the other. Brush it all with egg wash. Here’s my full tutorial on how to braid pie crust.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi!
I was wondering if you had ever made this combination into a cobbler? And even if you haven’t, if you had any advice for if I wanted to try to do so?
Hi Ember, here is our apple cobbler. You can swap some of the apples for cranberries, keeping the total amount of fruit about the same. Enjoy!
Great recipe! Very easy to follow and not confusing. I’m not the biggest fan of cranberries, though, so can I try it with another berry or with apples only? If so, what can you suggest and do I need to make any modifications? Also, is it okay to have a bit of juice when you cut into the pie? Thank you!
Hi Regina, you may prefer our apple pie instead!
QuestionโI am making this for Thanksgiving, and I am wondering if should I pre-cook the filling? This is recommended for the Best Apple Pie recipe Iโve used before, and itโs what I usually do for berry pies. I am trying to avoid a watery pie. Thanks and happy holidays!
Hi, you certainly can. I usually don’t take this step with this pie since the cranberries become so juicy, but you certainly can.
Freaking delicious! My 29-year-old twins went to a co-op preschool, where we had lots of pitch-ins. We made a cookbook with all our favorite recipes from these get-togethers. One of my favorites was a fellow mom’s apple cranberry pie. I made it for my family every Thanksgiving and Christmas, and always got compliments. Then one year I couldn’t find my cookbook! But I found your site, and your recipe is at least as good (maybe a little better – shh!)
Since then, your website has replaced Martha Stewart’s as my final authority for the best baking recipes. Your pumpkin pie, cornbread, etc. are on a different level than everyone else’s recipes. Good work! (But why did you change your website’s original name? It was fun!)
Hi Sally, are the grams for apples in your recipe measured before or after you core/peel/slice?. Last year I feel I didnโt have enough and had to run out and buy more. Also, have you ever frozen/thawed this filling? I would love to do that, but am nervous. Awesome recipe btw
Hi Rebecca! Measure after coring/peeling/slicing. Happy baking!
Sally, Just a question: the instructions say to slice the apples into 1/2 inch slices. They donโt look that thick in your pictures. Am I thinking about this the wrong way?
Hi Nicole! It should be 1/4-inch thick. Sorry about that.
I had a batch of fresh cranberries arrive in my produce delivery today, and I had way too many apples so I went looking for a good apple pie recipe that called for fresh cranberries. I made this recipe, and used the crumble topping recipe that was mentioned as an alternate. The flavor was wonderful. Despite having a huge mound of filling, I was very pleased that it did not bubble over at all while baking. I used my pie-crust guards and the crust edges were just the right level of brown. The reason I reduced the rating is that there was a deep pool of liquid in the bottom of the pie when I cut it to serve it. When I filled the pie crust, I used a slotted spoon to transfer the mixed filling into the crust to make sure I kept as much liquid out of the crust as possible. I also let it sit at room temperature to cool for the alloted number of hours after it was baked, but the bottom of the pie ended up as a giant soggy pool of liquid so I was glad that I wasn’t serving it to guests. I wonder if mixing in some tapioca powder would help thicken the liquid.
I followed this recipe partially. I added pears, so an apple, cranberry, pear pie. Loved the orange zest, and a little lemon juice. I made a crumble topping. It was excellent. I was told “this is one of your best”. Thank you for sharing.
Hey, the recipe says you can use frozen or fresh cranberries, but it doesn’t specify whether you need to thaw the frozen cranberries beforehand. Do you need to thaw the frozen cranberries first?
No need to thaw them first.
Wet fruit ruined my pie. I feel like the fruit should be cooked to reduce the liquid. I ended up with a puddle at the bottom which also soaked the bottom crust. Very disappointing.
Yummm absolutely delicious! Hav ebeen making regular apple pie for some time and my 4 yr old begged me to buy fresh cranberries because “she loves them”. Turns out fresh cranberries aren’t as sweet as they look lol. Wanted to utilize the leftovers and came across this recipe after some looking around… BEST. Recipe. Ever! Gives the pie an acidic note that plays off the apple’s sweetness well. The cinnamon and clove added a nice winter warmth and depth of flavor. Will be making again!
(I didn’t have nutmeg so omitted, used 1 large granny smith and 1 large crispy red apple and forgot to add the butter to the fruit mix- all came out great!)
Hi Sally! I have the Pampered Chef stoneware deep dish pie plate that is about 1.5″ deep. I plan to go with the crumble topping option rather than top lattice crust. Is there enough filling for my deeper pie plate? Thanks!
Hi Amy, there sure is. This yields a lot of filling, certainly enough for a pie dish 1.5 inches deep. (Mine is 1.8 inches deep!)
I have a pint of apple pie filling. I’m wondering if I could combine the canned pie filling (removing some of the liquid) with the orange zest and cranberries. Thoughts?
Hi Leslie, feel free to give it a try. If it’s apple pie filling you usually use and it sets up nicely, I can’t see why that wouldn’t work.
Sorry, I meant I had a quart of apple pie filling. Since the apple pie filling is pretty much cooked during the canning process, would this change the baking time at all?
I made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was a huge hit! Can I prep the pie Can I prep the pie and bake it the next day or will the crust get too soggy?
Hi Tina, so glad this pie was a hit! We don’t recommend prepping the pie and then baking it the next day, but here are all the ways we recommend making it ahead of time: A couple ways to make ahead of time! Make 1 day in advanceโ-after it cools, cover tightly and keep at room temperature. The pie crust dough can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baked pie also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Prepared filling can also be frozen up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.