This Cranberry Pie with its spicy gingersnap crumb crust and silky cranberry curd filling brings a little va-va-voom to the traditional dessert table!
I’m all for tradition, and in my house, the tradition is that every year we bring something new to our holiday tables. This year it’s going to be Cranberry Gingersnap Pie. (Oh boy, is this one going to wow you.) I’m gaga over cranberries this year, I can’t stop playing with them ~ they’re my winter equivalent of lemons and they just seem to wake everything up. It’s all about how many bags I can cram in my freezer (12 at last count.)
This easy cranberry pie recipe is simply a crumb crust filled with a homemade curd, but it’s the glorious flavors that make it so special. For the crust I used my absolute favorite gingersnaps ~ Nyåkers ~ they come in a beautiful tin from Sweden, they’re super thin and crisp, and the flavor is bright and peppery. (These are the same cookies I used for the crust of my famous Lemon Crunch Bars, too) These gingersnaps in the pretty tin make a great gift if you can keep from eating the cookies first (we never can.) But don’t worry if you don’t have them, any gingersnap cookie will work.
TIP: What makes this crust stand out from the rest, apart from the spicy gingersnaps, is that it has an equal amount of walnuts processed right along with the cookies — so good!
As good as the crust is, the most thrilling part of this pie, if you ask me, is that crimson pool of glossy curd in the middle. The curd filling starts with tart fresh pureed cranberries that are mixed with eggs, extra yolks, sugar and lemon juice, and cooked until thick. You might recall I have a Microwave Cranberry Curd recipe on the blog, and that would work, too. The microwave recipe produces a fluffier, lighter curd, and either will be fantastic.
After the curd is cooked, and while it’s still warm, I whisk in some room temperature butter which helps to make it extra glossy. Don’t you just want to dive right in??
TIP: Curd recipes often call for slow cooking over a double boiler…I never bother with that and cook my curds either in the microwave, (have you tried my insanely Easy Microwave Citrus Curd?) or on the stove top. The secret to a perfect curd without all that fuss is medium heat, constant stirring, and a final straining to remove any lumps.
I garnished the pie with sugared cranberries for a festive look. I used thyme for a touch of green, but small mint leaves would be great too.
TIP: I sugar my cranberries the easy way, there’s no need for the beaten egg whites or a boiled sugar syrup. I just take damp cranberries and roll them in granulated sugar. The sugar sticks just fine.
*This recipe is slightly adapted from bon appétit
Ingredients
- 5 ounces gingersnaps
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, DIVIDED
- 3 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp and cut in pieces
- sugared cranberries
- fresh thyme sprigs or mint leaves
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Put the gingersnaps in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. (this should be a heaping cup) Add the walnuts, and sugar and process again until everything is finely ground. Add the butter and process briefly to combine.
- Pat the crust into a 9 inch pie plate, and up the sides. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Put the cranberries, 1 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer the cranberries, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until they've popped and the mixture is quite thick. Let cool slightly and then puree until completely smooth.
- Whisk the puree, the eggs, yolks, salt, lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar together in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, this will take about 10 minutes or so. Stay by the pan the whole time and stir!
- Push the curd through a mesh strainer, using the back of a spoon to get it all through.
- Let the curd cool for a few minutes and then drop the room temperature butter in, bit by bit, while you stir to melt it.
- Pour the curd into the pie crust and smooth out evenly. Chill the pie until it is firm, about 2 hours or so.
- Decorate with sugared cranberries if you like.
- To make sugared cranberries, roll damp cranberries in granulated sugar and let dry.
save it for later!
49 Comments
Tobi
March 5, 2017 at 11:22 pmHi. The color caught my eye and I’m smitten!!! Could I use frozen berries as I can’t get fresh??
Candace
December 22, 2016 at 8:45 pmI plan to make this at Christmas. Do you think it would sit well for a day or should it be served the same day? I also thought of making the curd separately and putting the pie together on the day.
Thank you!
Sue
December 22, 2016 at 9:35 pmI think you can do it either way, Candace. I would tend to make the curd ahead and assemble the pie the day you will serve it, but honestly, we kept the pie for days in our refrigerator and enjoyed it.
Melissa
December 21, 2016 at 9:55 amThis does look fantastic! I’m wondering if I could use my gingerbread cookie recipe for the crust and it come out? Hmmmm
Sue
December 21, 2016 at 11:59 amI’m sure you could ~ go for it Melissa!
Lizzie
December 19, 2016 at 1:52 pmI asked The Honey to come into my office to see the pic of this pie. His first reaction was “You know I don’t do beets.” Ha ha ha did we laugh. Now we’re going to have to plan a dinner party for which this WILL be THE dessert. Thanks for the recipe and the giggle.
Sue
December 19, 2016 at 2:10 pmOh gosh, is there a husband alive who ‘does beets’? And it’s such a shame ;) Hope this pie doesn’t disappoint him, Lizzie :)
Lizzie
December 20, 2016 at 4:28 pmWhat IS it with guys and beets anyway??? But, to his eternal credit, he loves fennel, kohlrabi, parsnips and turnips (but not at the same time).
Zsofi
December 4, 2016 at 12:11 pmabsolutely amazing!!!! i just tried it today. Only change was that i had a dry stollen sitting around and i used that instead of the ginger cookies. My daughter said: “we should do this more often” and she is really picky!!!
Sue
December 4, 2016 at 12:44 pmFabulous! I like your ingenuity with the stollen, too :)
Robyn
December 2, 2016 at 11:29 pmHi I was going to make this Monday for pudding but I’m worried about time etc. Will it be just as good if I make it the night before or should I make it then serve immediately?
Willow | Will Cook For Friends
November 22, 2016 at 4:33 pmLady, this pie sounds AMAZING! I usually go through a cranberry-obsession phase every year, too (in fact, I think I feel it coming on just looking at this recipe) and cranberry curd happens to be one of my favorite things ever. I love the addition of walnuts to the crust, too. Yum yum yum yum yum.
Also, can I just say that making “something new” a tradition is the best idea ever? I mean, I love the classic Thanksgiving feast my family does each year, but it would be so much fun to have one or two new things to keep things fresh and fun. I might have to introduce this to my family, starting with this here pie (they’re bound to be won over, right?). :)
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
November 22, 2016 at 4:15 pmSounds absolutely delicious Sue! And that color!! Just gorgeous! Happy Thanksgiving!
grace
November 21, 2016 at 5:47 ampretty sure this is the prettiest pie ever made. i’d like to have several sweaters in that hue! :)
Sue
November 21, 2016 at 7:31 amhaha, me too!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
November 20, 2016 at 7:35 amThat colour is off the charts gorgeous! and the sugared cranberries and the gingersnap crust, well, it’s all just a perfect dessert centerpiece :)
Sue
November 20, 2016 at 8:11 amThanks Jennifer, I could stare at it all day!
Laura | Tutti Dolci
November 19, 2016 at 9:17 pmWhat a stunning pie, Sue! That color is fabulous!
Jules @ WolfItDown
November 19, 2016 at 5:19 pmHoly smoke! Definitely a show stopper at a dinner party! O.O It sounds amazing too :)
Susan
November 19, 2016 at 10:56 amHello, Gorgeous! Talk about a sexy-looking pie :) I love making curds in the microwave – so easy and they turn out great. Love the pics!
Tara | Deliciously Declassified
November 19, 2016 at 9:05 amWow! What a stunning cake! I’m sure it tastes just as great as it looks, too. Would be a nice changeup from the usual suspects at the Thanksgiving dessert table :)
Abbe@This is How I Cook
November 18, 2016 at 8:58 pmWinner, winner, chicken dinner! I’ll take the pie!
Sue
November 19, 2016 at 7:18 amMe too, every time ;)
Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness
November 18, 2016 at 8:09 pmThe pie is gorgeous! I love the color and I love the cranberry filling. I am a big fan when it comes to cranberries.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
November 18, 2016 at 5:14 pmThis is a show stopper for sure! Everybody will want to skip the turkey and dressing and get right on with the pie! Absolutely beautiful. It must have a fantastic flavor. Bravo!
Penny
November 18, 2016 at 2:18 pmAll I can say is “Genius”! What a great riff on Thanksgiving ingredients. Will try at my earliest convenience. Thanks Sue.
Chris Scheuer
November 18, 2016 at 12:34 pmBeautiful, beautiful, beautiful! I want a dress in that gorgeous color! Love the crust and that cranberry curd sounds amazing!
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 2:11 pmHaha Chris, we need to go shopping for dresses, I want to match my pie too!
Susan
November 18, 2016 at 12:28 pmThis sounds very interesting, and if I do say so, much better than pumpkin pie (and that’s even though my mother always made spectacularly good pumpkin pie). I’ve never found commercial ginger snaps that I like, and I’ve never seen your brand. So I’d bake a batch of Triple The Ginger cookies (from allrecipes.com) to use for the crust. And then of course “suffer” through eating the rest of the batch… It’s nice to know that one doesn’t need a double boiler to make curd – that’s one of those luxuries I don’t have room for in my kitchen.
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 2:13 pmEnjoy Susan ~ I think I might make some gingersnaps this season for the blog…I’ll check out that recipe.
Schatzi49
November 18, 2016 at 11:39 amOh my gosh, I need to get to the store for some gingersnaps. My son and I are cranberry nutz…..we even eat them raw and use as a garnish for drinks. Love fresh cranberries.
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 2:14 pmI’m just getting used to eating them raw, I made a great relish for brats earlier this season that we all fell in love with. I hear people pop the sugared cranberries like candy, but I haven’t tried that yet.
Bita
November 18, 2016 at 11:24 amWow Sue – what a beautiful, sexy looking pie! I am so going to try this recipe. Again your artist eye is unstoppable :) love it! I can tell that it is super delicious as well. That crust though…and I love that it seems simple to make. I can’t deal with the labor intensive crusts. Easy and beautiful – this one looks like a show stopped. Thank you for sharing your talent!!!
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 3:28 pmI’m a crumb crust kinda gal whenever I can justify it…they’re sooooo much easier.
2 sisters recipes
November 18, 2016 at 10:53 amSue this pie so amazing ! In fact we love all your recipes – never ever made homemade curd but will have to try it simply because you make it so easy for us to do!
Barbara
November 18, 2016 at 9:52 amLove that color, Sue! So pretty and perfect for the holidays. I discovered cranberry curd a couple years ago and made some miniature tarts with it…. the recipe had a fabulous pecan crust. I’ve taken them to several holiday events and they’re always a big hit. Everyone is always so surprised to discover it was a cranberry curd.
Love the idea of the gingersnap crust with your pie….can’t wait to try it!
Jolina
November 18, 2016 at 9:10 amOh my word that looks incredible. The crust alone I will eat as a cookie! But you’re right, that filling is gorgeous. I don’t work with fresh cranberries much (silly mistake years ago, boring story) but I think I will need to rethink that!
Renz
November 18, 2016 at 8:40 amI would probably eat all the crust out quickly. It looks divine!!
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 8:45 amI know, I actually binge eat the cookies themselves…
Lisa @garlicandzest.com
November 18, 2016 at 8:33 amSue – this is such a wow-zer! That gorgeous magenta color, the spice from the gingersnap crust and those sugar coated cranberries! Oh-Ma-Gawd! I’ve never made cranberry curd before, but it looks absolutely luscious!
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 8:48 amYou’re right on with the comment about the spice from the gingersnaps…that just makes the pie!
Tina Dawson | Love is in my Tummy
November 18, 2016 at 8:32 amWhat a GORGEOUS pie? That color is to die for! I love how you’ve made everything easier – from microwave curds to the simplest solution to frosted berries – just roll them in sugar when wet! Ha ha! So brilliant! :)
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 8:49 amI’m always looking out for the easiest way from A to B ;)
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
November 18, 2016 at 8:31 amThis is GORGEOUS!!! I love cranberries– I never thought about turning them into a custard though!
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 8:50 amThanks Sarah ~ I’m turning them into just about everything these days, I can’t get enough.
Thais FK
November 18, 2016 at 8:23 amI love everything about this pie! The color of the filling, the structure of the crust, it is absolutely stunning! I’ll definitely try to make it one of these days, maybe substituting the cranberries with lingonberries, of which I have the freezer full :D Thank you for this post!
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 8:51 amOh that sounds great Thais, I don’t think I’ve ever had a fresh lingonberry, only in jam.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
November 18, 2016 at 5:51 amHow gorgeous is that! I might make this for X’mas!! Can’t take my eyes off it :-))
Sue
November 18, 2016 at 8:51 am:)))