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.
Hi there! Did you mean to say 1/2 cup sugar in step 4? Otherwise there would me no remaining sugar for rolling cranberries. Thanks!
I clarified that Mitzi ~ just roll the cranberries in more sugar.
Quick question: the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups sugar, DIVIDED. But I don’t see where it is divided in the instructions?
The first cup of sugar goes into the curd, Sarah, and the remaining is used to sugar the cranberries.
1 cup gets added to the cranberries in step 4 and 1/2 cup gets added to the cranberry purée in step 5.
This sounds delicious but…I have someone with a Nut allergy. Would it make a huge difference not putting the walnuts in?
No you can leave out the walnuts, it will just be a standard crumb crust. Add extra crumbs to make up for the lack of walnuts.
Hi Sue,
A friend sent a similar recipe that calls for adding grand marnier at the end. Do you think that’s worth adding in?
Well, I’m usually all for experimenting with liqueur as flavoring, so I don’t see why not, if you love that touch of orange.
Do you think the orange would be a weird addition, though? I feel like I need to make yours first, and get a better sense of what this even tastes like. It just looks so beautiful and I like the idea of making something different from the usual fall pies.
I agree, I would make as is first, since cranberry is such an assertive flavor, then maybe experiment.
I am thinking of creating this in “bar” form for Thanksgiving. I know my sisters will be making various pies, so this would be a bit different. I thought I would pre-cut and put a sugared cranberry& small sprig of whatever on each piece. What are your thoughts?
Cute idea, I think you’re saying that you’d have all the cut pie slices set out for people to customize with different garnishes?
This pie looks amazing! I would like to make it for a work Piesgiving exchange but wanted to see if you have any suggestions for substituting out the walnuts in the crust (trying to make it as allergen-free as possible!). Thanks!
I would just leave them out and add a few more gingersnaps, Ashley, then it would just be a basic crumb crust.
Awesome, thank you! And thanks for the quick reply as well 🙂
This looks gorgeous!! We can’t get fresh cranberries in NZ right now though, would frozen work for the curd? (obviously not for the top, but maybe some candied ginger or walnuts on top would work..)
Yes, frozen cranberries will be fine.
Hi Sue, this looks amazing, I love cranberries and am always excited to find new recipes to try. I am going to make this for a work potluck and was thinking of making individual tart servings instead of one big pie. How much do you think I would need to adjust the cooking time of the crust? Thanks!
Great idea Terryn! For the crust the cooking is mainly just to set it, so I think it would be about the same time for the minis, maybe a little less.
Thanks Sue! Have you ever tried making the crust with gluten free ginger snaps? We have a lot of people in the office with gluten sensitivities and they are always excited so see a dessert they can enjoy too.
I haven’t but I assume that any cookie that you can crush and make into crumbs would work.
Just made this for Thanksgiving (my first pie ever!) and it was a massive hit with everyone! I was a bit afraid it might be too tart but it turned out to be the perfect balance. As a first time pie maker, the recipe was very easy to follow, and it has now been added to my repertoire! Thank you 🙂
I’m grinning here Brittany, I love that this pie will be a part of your holidays going forward, thanks for leaving the feedback!
Hi, I was wondering how a meringue topping would be on this or a whipped cream topping. They are very different but my tastebuds are telling me either would be scrumptious, what are your thoughts?
I’m leaning toward a meringue topping, that seems to go better with the tart cranberry curd.
and by the way that sounds amazing 🙂