Easy Cranberry Apple Pie with Maple Syrup

This cranberry apple pie is an old-fashioned apple cranberry pie with sweet apples and tart fresh cranberries cooked with butter, dark brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon, then baked under a flaky lattice crust with a sparkly sugar top. It's a classic apple pie with a festive little twist, and a spectacular holiday dessert.

If you love fruit pies for the holidays, try my Salted Caramel Apple Pie too, or my Cranberry Meringue Pie for another way to bake with fresh cranberries.

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I'm a huge pie lover, and my heart skips a beat for an amazing apple pie. If you love cranberries, you have to try this one. Every bite has a little tart surprise from the cranberries. I found the filling in the November 2011 issue of Cooking Light and changed it up a little. The crust is the same one I always make, from an older Martha Stewart book. It never fails me... well, almost never.

The first time I made this pie, I was rushing to bake two pies on Thanksgiving morning. My Amaretti Almond Pumpkin Pie crust turned out dreamily, but this one had some major technical issues. It just wouldn't roll out, so instead of tossing it, I pressed the bottom crust right into the pie plate.

I had much better luck with the lattice strips, probably because I found a little patience and let the dough chill longer. Nobody noticed the difference, and I got plenty of compliments on a pie I thought almost wouldn't be! If you'd like to see how I roll out pie dough, I shared step-by-step photos with my Grape and Apple Pie.

My pumpkin pie crust turned out dreamily. This crust had some major technical issues. I dealt with it and tried to roll it out the way it should roll out. It just wasn't happening. I couldn't fight it any longer and decided to just press the bottom into the pie crust before I tossed the whole thing away. I had much better luck with the lattice strips.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Unsalted butter: Well chilled, for rich, buttery flavor.
• Margarine or vegetable shortening: Chilled. A little helps make the crust tender and flaky.
• Ice water: Just enough to bring the dough together.

Cranberry Apple Filling

• Apples: About 6 Gala apples (2½ pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces. Gala holds its shape and is naturally sweet. Honeycrisp or a mix with Granny Smith also works.
• Fresh lemon juice: Keeps the apples from browning and brightens the flavor.
• Flour: Thickens the juices so the filling isn't runny.
• Dark brown sugar and butter: Cooked together into a quick caramel for the apples.
• Cinnamon
• Fresh cranberries: They add tartness and bright red color.
• Pure maple syrup: Use the dark, robust kind (once labeled Grade B) for the deepest maple flavor.

Egg Wash

• Egg: Gives the crust a golden shine.
• Turbinado (raw) sugar: For a sparkly, crunchy top.

How to make cranberry apple pie

Full printable recipe below-this is just a summary of steps.

• Step 1: Make the quick cranberry apple pie filling. Once you cook the mixture together, you could set it aside to cool down. If you're using a ready-made pie crust, you could assemble the pie as soon as the filling cools down. If you're making a homemade pie crust, follow these steps.
• Step 2: If making the homemade pie crust, combine the ingredients together by hand, or with a food processor.
• Step 3: Wrap and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
• Step 4: Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Step 5: Roll out the chilled pastry dough and divide into 2 portions.
• Step 6: Fill the pie crust with the filling.
• Step 7: Cut out lattice strips with half the dough. Gently place the lattice strips on top of the filling.
• Step 8: Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle on a little turbinado (raw) sugar. It makes the pie sparkly and really pretty.
• Step 9: Bake pie for 50 minutes-1 hour.
• Step 10: Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Recipe Tips

• Chill the dough well: If your dough cracks or won't roll, put it back in the fridge for a bit. Patience fixed my lattice strips!
• Don't overcook the filling: Cook the apples for only about 5 minutes. The filling keeps thickening as the pie bakes and cools.
• Frozen cranberries: Thaw them to room temperature and drain any liquid before adding them to the apples.
• Don't skip the egg wash and sugar: That's what gives you a sparkly, golden, bakery-style crust.
• Shield the crust: No pie shield? Wrap strips of foil around the crust edge if it starts getting too dark.
• Bake on a sheet pan: It catches any bubbling juices and keeps your oven clean.
• Short on time? Use a ready-made crust, or try my Easy Buttery Pie Crust made in the food processor.
• Swap the fruit: No cranberries? Raspberries or blueberries make a lovely apple berry pie.

Storage and Freezing

• Cool completely first: A warm pie traps condensation under the crust and turns soggy.
• Room temperature: Cover with a pie dome or wrap tightly in plastic wrap for up to 2 days.
• Refrigerator: Wrapped well or in an airtight container, up to 5 days.
• Freezer: I don't recommend freezing the baked pie, because the crust gets soggy when it thaws. The wrapped crust dough freezes well, though.

Serving Suggestions

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream. On the Thanksgiving dessert table, it's lovely next to a rich chocolate pie like my Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie.

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5 from 5 vote

Cranberry Apple Pie

Cranberry Apple Pie is my new favorite fall pie. A tender flaky lattice topped pie crust is loaded with a fresh cranberries, apples, warm spices. This delicious traditional apple pie with added cranberries makes for a spectacular holiday dessert!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple pie, Baking, cranberries, Thanksgiving

Servings: 6 slices

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Lora

Ingredients

PIE CRUST

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons margarine or chilled vegetable shortening
• ▢ ¼ cup ice water
• ▢ FILLING
• ▢ ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons butter
• ▢ 2 ½ pounds Gala apples about 6, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
• ▢ 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
• ▢ ⅔ cup grade B maple syrup

EGG WASH

• ▢ 1 lightly beaten egg
• ▢ turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions

• CRANBERRY PIE FILLING
• Dredge all the apple slices in the freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent browning and to add flavor. Toss the apples in the flour. Set the prepared apples aside.
• In a medium-sized skillet on medium heat, toss in the brown sugar and butter. When the butter has melted, add the apples into the brown sugar mixture. Cook them in the mixture for about 5 minutes. Fold the cranberries and maple syrup into the apple mixture and set aside to cool for about ten minutes in a small bowl.
• Make homemade pie crust by hand
• In a large bowl, sift the flour and salt. Cut the chilled butter and margarine into 1-tablespoon bits and add to the flour. With a pastry cutter, work flour and shortening together until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water little by little pressing the pastry together into a ball. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
• It is very important to work the pastry as little as possible. Don't over handle. A secret to light, flaky pastry is to keep the mixture cool, add as little water as possible, and mix only as much as necessary.
• Make pie crust in food processor
• Put flour and salt in bowl of machine. Cut butter and margarine into flour. Process a few seconds until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drop by drop add the water, processing very briefly. The whole process would take 20 to 30 seconds. Wrap and chill the pastry for at least 1 hour.
• If pastry has been chilled for a long time, let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Lightly flour a pastry board, marble counter, or kitchen counter. Divide the pastry in half. Pat each piece of pastry into a flat round. Lightly flour the rolling pin. Roll pastry in one direction only, turning pastry continually to prevent it from sticking to the surface.
• Using pie plate as a guide, measure rolled-out pastry -- it should be slightly larger than the pie plate and ⅛-inch thick. Fold rolled pastry circle in half so you can lift it more easily. Unfold, gently fitting the pastry into the pie plate, allowing pastry to hang evenly over the edge. Roll out the second half and carefully cut out lattice strips. Fill the pie crust with the filling and gently place the lattice strips on top of the filling.
• Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle on a little turbinado (raw) sugar. It makes the pie sparkly and really pretty.
• Place pie on baking sheet and place on middle rack in the oven.
• Bake pie until crust is golden brown and juices bubble, 50 minutes-1 hour.Keep an eye on the crust as it's baking and if it is getting to dark, tent the crust edges with foil.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Best to cool down for 2-3 hours before serving so the filling will set up better.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

• Ready-made crust: Use 2 refrigerated crusts, one for the bottom and one cut into lattice strips.
• Frozen cranberries: Thaw and drain before using.
• Storage: Room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerated up to 5 days. Freezing the baked pie isn't recommended.

Nutrition

Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 257mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 336IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg

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