This Cranberry Pie with a gingersnap crumb crust and silky cranberry curd filling is guaranteed to bring a little va-va-voom to your holiday dessert table this year; the recipe is easy to follow and the result is show-stopping!
change it up this year with cranberry pie for Thanksgiving or Christmas
Of course tradition rules the holidays. We make Libby’s Pumpkin Pie every year, also Maple Frangipane Pecan Pie, without fail. But In our house it’s also a tradition that every year we try something new on our holiday menus…enter this amazing cranberry 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.)
what is cranberry pie?
This easy cranberry pie recipe is a gingersnap crumb crust filled with a brilliant homemade cranberry curd.
But it’s the glorious flavors (and color!) 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.
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 gingersnap crust is, cranberry pie is all about that glossy cranberry curd
The curd filling for cranberry pie 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??
the secret to a silky cranberry curd pie filling
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
how to garnish a cranberry pie
I garnish this pie with sugared cranberries for a festive look. I used thyme for a touch of green contrast, but small mint leaves would be great too.
how to make sugared cranberries the easy way
Let’s be frank, no one is going to eat your sugared cranberries, they’re just for decoration. So I sugar my cranberries the easy way, there’s no need for messy beaten egg whites or a boiled sugar syrup.
- I take damp cranberries and roll them in granulated sugar. The sugar sticks just fine.
- Let them dry and then place them on your pie. Try not to handle them too much.
tvfgi recommends: Nyåkers Swedish Gingersnaps
Nyåkers comes in the pretty decorated tin, which I always re-use to give holiday cookies or store ornaments, etc. (I can’t bear to throw it away.) These Swedish spice cookies have a cult following, and they make a great gift, just send them straight from Amazon. I send a tin to my Dad every year.
“I took this cranberry pie to a pie potluck at work and it was a HUGE hit! The recipe seems foolproof to me; I followed your instructions exactly and my curd set up beautifully. And multiple colleagues (many of whom are accomplished bakers) asked me for the recipe!”
Katie
Cranberry Gingersnap Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch pie plate
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
crust
- 5 ounces gingersnaps
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
filling
- 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
- 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp and cut in pieces
garnish
- sugared cranberries
- fresh thyme sprigs or mint leaves
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- 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 your 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! Note: let the mixture just come up to a bubble, and then remove from heat.
- 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.
sugared cranberries
- Roll damp cranberries in granulated sugar and let dry.
Video
Notes
- Any firm curd will work in this pie, so feel free to experiment.
- Use graham crackers or plain chocolate wafters in place of the gingersnaps for the crust.
- Leave out the walnuts for a nut free crust, just add more crumbs.
How long can this pie sit in the fridge before it needs to be served? How quickly does the crust get soggy?
I would make and serve it the same day, but I do remember having leftovers and they were great.
We made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it turned out very well. Thank you for sharing.
This recipe came recommended to me by friends with serious a wow factor so I’m trying it for a V-Day group dinner. With so many outstanding comments on this recipe I don’t know why my question hasn’t been asked before. The one cup of walnuts is walnut halves or pieces? I’m assuming it’s not referring to ground walnuts? Or should it be 5 oz to match the amount of gingersnaps? I want to make sure I have the ratios right before starting. I’m planning to make it in a 10″ fluted tart pan with removable bottom so I also don’t want to skimp on crust. Thanks!
I use walnut halves, but if you have pieces, that should be fine.
If I could give this seven stars I would! Bravo Susan for sharing such an amazing recipe! First of all the pie is absolutely stunning. I decorated it with the sugared cranberries and rosemary from my herb garden! It just looks so professional! But the best part is the taste! So tart and full of flavor! Everyone voted it the best dessert on the Christmas table which included my chiffon pumpkin cheesecake! This will definitely be a regular for my holiday baking! Thank you so much for having the best blog ever!
I added whipped cream to the top of the pie which paired perfectly with the tartness of the cranberry. Will definitely make again!
My sister-in-law made this recipe And it was perfect! My new favorite pie. I am attempting to replicate it right now, but I believe the crust turned to butter because I had to use my vitamix blender instead of my tiny food processor, She had great success using coconut oil instead of butter and gluten-free gingersnaps from Trader Joe’s. Her crust was perfect. Mine will be a little soggy from blending. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m making the pie right now. As an avid baker it’s misleading to say 5 ounces of ginger snaps . That is simply not enough for this crust. Had I stuck to that my crust would have been soggy too. I used at least 10 ounces which ground to about 1 1/3 cup. For new bakers, simply say 1 1/3 cup or even 1 1/2 cups. I’ve made so many crumb crusts I can tell what the texture should be like. Anew baker does not have this experience. Can’t wait to taste the final result. It’s a beautiful pie. I’m making it for Christmas! Thanks so much for this unique recipe!
Hi there, I’m making this right now. I’ve been baking the crust for 30 min and it’s still wet like when I first put it in the pie plate! Help!
Hi Mary ~ the crust should not be wet at any time, is it possible you added too much butter? The butter will harden when you chill the pie, but you might want to start over and use less butter.
Hello! Should I chill this covered or uncovered? So excited to try it!
Once it has cooled completely, you can loosely cover it.
Hi there, I’d love to see a video of this recipe. Can you post one?
There is a video, right in this post, it should be toward the top, and also in the recipe.