Apple Cranberry Pie for the Holidays

And so this holiday season, I wanted to share with you my personal favorite pie to make, hands down: this Christmasy Apple Cranberry Pie, deliciously sweet, tangy, and warmly spiced with a touch of cinnamon and a teeny hint of orange zest.

And with ruby-red cranberries and crisp, sweet apples being plentiful during these colder months, this is the perfect pie to share this season.

What could be more beautiful, more rustic? What could more sweetly and more flavorfully represent this festive time of year?

Baking Pie, My Favorite Way to Unwind

While I consider myself someone who leans more towards “savory” cooking and recipe developing, my little secret is that I absolutely adore baking in my spare time.

When I’m looking to have a relaxing experience in my kitchen whipping up something in my down time and “just for fun”, I actually tend to choose baking recipes to play around with, especially pie recipes such as classic apple, or even pumpkin, another favorite.

I think I am enticed by the image of an end result of something sweet, homemade, fragrant, and (hopefully) beautiful that I will be able to partake in and share with my loved ones—something that inspires me to play in that way, and play with abandon.

The Sweet Flavor Of The Holidays In Christmasy Apple Cranberry Pie

For me, the holidays are a time for conscious creativity—a time of purposeful play that yields comfort, joy, warmth, and the possibility of good memories being made, ones that involve sitting at the table with good food, good conversation, and some cheer.

They are a time of coziness and sparkle, of cold evenings and hot drinks, of flickering fireplaces and of warm blankets being pulled up to the chin and snuggled in, of festive colors and flavors…

They are a time to turn on the oven, and to get out the flour, butter, sugar, spices and fresh seasonal fruits meant to be peeled and diced and sprinkled, and turn all of those glorious ingredients into a buttery, flaky, homemade pie; a pie whose aromas, while baking, waft throughout the home and tickle noses, tantalizing them with a hint of what’s to come.

I can’t think of a better way to spend at least a small sliver of this holiday season than in my warm kitchen, rolling out pie dough and making a juicy filling, then baking off a lovely pie until golden-brown.

And I can’t wait to gather around the table with those I love, chatting over slices of freshly-baked, flakey apple cranberry pie served with or without a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream (whichever is most preferred in that moment, of course), and savoring every last bite.

Tips & Tidbits

• Prepare your dough ahead of time: You can prep your dough ahead of time, and either freeze it (if making well in advance), or keep it wrapped in plastic in the fridge; then, all you’ll need to do is simply prepare your filling, roll, and bake!
• Gala apples, a great pick: I love Gala apples for this apple cranberry pie, because they are sweet, and have that strong “apple-y” flavor; they also have a firmer texture which keeps it shape when the pie bakes. But you can substitute your favorite varietal, if you prefer—just know that something like Granny Smith may be too tart with the combination of cranberries, since those are already tart.
• Bake your pie on a baking sheet: Line a baking sheet with foil and place it into the oven while it preheats; then, place your pie directly onto the baking sheet while it bakes, and it will catch any juices that may drip down.
• Allow the pie to completely cool, or even make it a day ahead: I typically like to bake my pies the day before I plan to serve them, as this gives plenty of time for them to cool, and for the juices to settle and firm up a bit as well. But if you bake it the day you plan to serve it, know that you should allow for at least a few hours of cooling before serving.

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