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 ~ NyÃ¥kers ~ 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
NyÃ¥kers 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.
I 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!
I 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.
This does look fantastic! I’m wondering if I could use my gingerbread cookie recipe for the crust and it come out? Hmmmm
I’m sure you could ~ go for it Melissa!
I 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.
Oh gosh, is there a husband alive who ‘does beets’? And it’s such a shame 😉 Hope this pie doesn’t disappoint him, Lizzie 🙂
What 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).
There actually is a recipe for Beet Pie from a pie bakery in Detroit. It is my beer loving sister’s favorite. I make her one for her birthday every year now. ?
Really, wow, that’s a new one on me!
absolutely 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!!!
Fabulous! I like your ingenuity with the stollen, too 🙂
Hi 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?
Lady, 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?). 🙂
Sounds absolutely delicious Sue! And that color!! Just gorgeous! Happy Thanksgiving!
pretty sure this is the prettiest pie ever made. i’d like to have several sweaters in that hue! 🙂
haha, me too!
That colour is off the charts gorgeous! and the sugared cranberries and the gingersnap crust, well, it’s all just a perfect dessert centerpiece 🙂
Thanks Jennifer, I could stare at it all day!
What a stunning pie, Sue! That color is fabulous!