Cranberry Crumb Pie

updated Nov 17, 2020
thanksgiving
Post Image
Credit: Brittany Conerly

A citrus-kissed cranberry filling provides tangy contrast to the sweet, buttery crumble topping in this festive pie.

Serves8 to 10

Makes1 (9-inch) pie

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Post Image
Credit: Brittany Conerly

Thanksgiving Food Fest is a virtual food festival full of turkey, pie, games, and fun, starring many of our favorite cooks, ready to share the secrets of a most delicious Thanksgiving. Watch the event live at @thekitchn on Instagram from November 14-15 (or check back here after if you miss it).

Cranberry is a highly underrated filling for a fall-ish pie. We love the tart-meets-sweet vibes, especially when paired with an oat crumb topping.

Credit: Brittany Conerly

Cranberry Crumb Pie

A citrus-kissed cranberry filling provides tangy contrast to the sweet, buttery crumble topping in this festive pie.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

Serves 8 to 10

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the pie dough:

  • 1 1/4 cups

    all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    fine salt

  • 1/4 cup

    ice water

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    apple cider vinegar

  • 8 tablespoons

    (1 stick) cold unsalted butter

For the oat crumb topping:

  • 8 tablespoons

    (1 stick) unsalted butter

  • 1 cup

    all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup

    old-fashioned rolled oats

  • 1/2 cup

    packed dark brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon

    fine salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    freshly ground nutmeg

For the filling:

  • 4 cups

    fresh or frozen cranberries, divided

  • 1 1/4 cups

    granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon

    cornstarch

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    fine salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon

    finely grated orange zest

  • 1 tablespoon

    fresh orange juice

  • 1 tablespoon

    unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Instructions

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Make the pie dough:

  1. Place 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Place 1/4 cup ice water and 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup or a small bowl and stir to combine.

  2. Cut 1 stick cold unsalted butter into 1-inch cubes. Add to the flour mixture and toss to gently coat them. Use a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut the butter into the flour. You should have various-sized pieces of butter, ranging from sandy patches to pea-sized chunks, with some larger bits as well.

  3. Drizzle in about half of the ice water mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry, add a little more ice water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. The dough will still look a bit shaggy at this point. If you grab a small piece of dough and press it slightly with your hand, it should mostly hold together.

  4. Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and gather it together into a tight mound. Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough a little at a time, pushing it away from you and working your way down the mass of dough to create flat layers of flour and butter.

  5. Gather the dough back together with a bench scraper, layering the clumps of dough on top of one another. Repeat the process once or twice more; the dough should still have some big pieces of butter visible. Shape the dough into a disk and flatten it. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

  6. Lightly flour a work surface. Place the dough on it and roll with a rolling pin into a 12-inch round that is 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough into a 9-inch pie dish, and relax the dough into shape of the pie dish, leaving a 2-inch overhang around the edge of the dish.

  7. Crimp the crust: Start by folding the extra dough under itself. Use your index finger and thumb of one hand to crimp to create a letter C and push the thumb of your opposite hand against it, pushing gently into the pie dish as you crimp, working your way all around the edges of the crust. Make sure that your crimp is resting on the outer edge of the pie plate.

  8. Freeze the crust for 10 to 15 minutes, and then define your crimp again so that it will hold its shape when baked. Freeze the crust while you make the topping and filling.

Make the crumb topping:

  1. Melt 1 stick unsalted butter. Place 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon fine salt, and 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg in a medium bowl and stir with a fork until completely blended.

  2. Pour in the melted butter and toss with your hands until the butter is incorporated, creating a crumble texture from small to medium-sized clumps. Once the mixture will hold different sized clumps in your hand when squeezed, it’s ready! Scatter the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes to ensure it will hold its texture when it bakes.

  3. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375 °F. Place a parchment paper-lined baking sheet on a lower rack to catch all the juices that fall when the pie bakes.

Make the filling:

  1. Place 3 cups of the cranberries in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or a blender. Pulse a few times until lightly crushed. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup whole cranberries, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon grated orange zest, and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Gently toss until combined.

  2. Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Top pie with the crumble, making sure you have various sized chunks on top to create texture. Bake on the middle rack until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let the pie cool on a wire rack 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The disk of pie dough can be stored for 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer. If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

Crushing cranberries by hand: If you don’t have a food processor, place 3 cups cranberries in a large ziptop bag and do your very best to break up the berries with the bottom of a saucepan. This step acts as therapy, and also releases some juice that will help thicken the filling as it bakes.

Storage: The pie can be loosely covered and refrigerated up to 3 days.

This recipe is part of Kitchn’s Food Fest, a two-day joyful, virtual feast.