Fresh cranberries and orange zest add a tart zip to this homemade Apple Cranberry Pie, which is packed with apples, and prepared with my go-to flaky, all-butter pie crust.
7medium baking applesI recommend a ratio of 5 Granny Smith apples + 2 Mutsu or Golden Delicious apples, roughly 3 lbs, peeled, cored, and sliced just over 1/4-inch thick
zestof 1 small orange, plus 1 tablespoon orange juice
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
⅔cup (135 g)granulated sugar
⅓cup (75 g)packed light brown sugar
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
¼teaspoonkosher salt
1tablespoon (15 g)unsalted butter
3tablespoons (30 g)cornstarch
1cup (100 g)fresh cranberries
Egg Wash:
1large egg, plus 1 tablespoon milkwhisked
sparkling sugarfor sprinkling
For Serving:
vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream
Instructions
Prepare the Pie Dough (preferably, the night before or several hours in advance of assembling): Place the flour, salt, and baking powder (if using) in a stand mixer bowl. Transfer the stand mixer bowl and paddle attachment to the freezer - if your freezer is too small, you can place the dry flour mixture in a small bowl or Ziploc bag for chilling. Place the butter in a separate small bowl. Transfer the dry ingredients, tools, and butter to the freezer for 20 minutes to chill. Note: If you do not have a stand mixer, you can also prepare the dough in a large food processor or by hand using a pastry cutter – be sure to chill all of your tools before using.
Once the ingredients have chilled, mix the dry ingredients with the stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment for 5 to 10 seconds over low speed. Over low speed, slowly add the cold butter, adding a few cubes at a time. Continue mixing over low speed until the butter has broken into a mixture of larger and smaller size pieces similar to the size of broken walnut pieces.
Our low speed, add the apple cider vinegar. Add one tablespoon of ice water at a time until the dough is shaggy, but can easily hold together when pressed together with palms. If the dough is struggling to hold together, add a touch more water. The amount of water required will vary from batch to batch depending on kitchen humidity, as well as flour brand, but you will most likely need most of it. Press the dough together into a round disc and cut in half. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, ideally, overnight.
Assemble and Prepare the Filling: Remove one disc of pie dough from the fridge. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes or until just soft enough to roll. If it is cracking, allow it to rest for an additional 5 minutes. On a lightly floured countertop or marble slab, roll the dough until it is ⅛-inch thick or less and roughly 12½ inches in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9½-inch glass pie pan. Gently lift and nudge the dough into the edges of the pan without stretching the dough. Using a kitchen scissors or a knife, trim any remaining overhang just past the edges of the pan. Brush off any excess flour with a pastry brush, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or up to 3 hours) while you prepare the filling.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the apple slices, orange zest and juice, vanilla extract, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Allow the mixture to macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, and release liquid. The apples will shrink fairly significantly and become much more tender. Transfer the mixture to a colander, set on top of a large bowl, to drain any of the macerating liquid. It should release about ½ cup of liquid or more, depending on the juiciness of your apples.
Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan and add the unsalted butter. Place over medium heat and reduce by half, swirling the pan without stirring. It should be fairly thick, dark, and resemble the texture of a thick syrup.
Meanwhile, remove the second disc of pie dough from the fridge and set aside. Place the apples back into the same large mixing bowl and toss with the cornstarch until it is completely dissolved. Pour on the hot reduced syrup and toss to combine. If the syrup seizes, don’t worry. Add the cranberries to the bowl. Allow to cool.
Roll the remaining pie dough disc until it is ⅛-inch thick or less, and about 12 inches in diameter. Remove the pie pan from the fridge and nestle the apple cranberry filling into the crust (try to fill in any air gaps) into the pan. Using your fingertip, slightly moisten the edges of the pie dough with water. Place the top crust pie dough over the fruit filling. Trim any overhang to just 1-inch beyond the edges of the pan. Tuck the overhang of the top crust over and then under the bottom crust overhang border. Press to seal. Using the knuckle of your index finger on one hand (on the inner edge of the crust) and the thumb and index finger of your other hand (on the outer edge), press and crimp the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack on the lowest level of the oven (preheat for the entirety of the time that the pie chills in the freezer). Set aside a rimmed half sheet pan. Remove the pie from the freezer, make six 2-inch wide cuts in the top of the dough, spreading them apart slightly with your fingers to expose the filling. These will help release steam from the pie as it cooks and prevent the moisture from staying within the pie. Brush the top and edges lightly with egg wash. Avoiding the crimped edges, sprinkle lightly with sparkling sugar.
Place the pie pan on the rimmed sheet pans and bake uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. Continue baking for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, covering any edges or crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning, or until the mixture is bubbling slightly and the apples are tender, but still provide some give, when poked through the slits with a knife or cake tester.
Place on a cooling rack and cool for a minimum of 4 hours before slicing and serving.
Tips for Success:
Be sure to use the freshest apples possible for this pie. Older apples that have been stored for longer are more likely to become too soft during baking.
It is essential that your pie dough ingredients start/stay as chilled as possible! This ensures minimal gluten development (tenderness) and allows the butter to remain cold as it hits the hot oven (producing flaky layers). Butter that starts to melt or soften quickly will produce a tougher crust with very little flakiness.
Aluminum-free baking powder is added to the pie crust which helps tenderize and discourage crust shrinking. This is optional, so feel free to leave it out if you prefer not to use it.
A small addition of vinegar (aka. acid) in the pie crust helps discourage additional gluten formation. If you do not have apple cider on hand, you can substitute it with white vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice for a similar effect. It is not an essential ingredient by any means, but doesn’t hurt!
Filling method inspired by Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Pie and Pastry Bible.