Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie

A slice of cranberry apple crumble pie on a dessert plate topped with ice cream. Another slice and the pie are in he background

5 from 11 votes

This Apple Cranberry Pie is simply delicious. Granny Smith and Golden Delicious Apples are combined with fresh cranberries for a sweet tart filling and then topped with tasty brown sugar crumble.

Prep Time1 20

Cook Time1

Cooling Time2

Total Time4 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 528kcal

Author: Cheryl Norris

Ingredients

All-Butter Pie Dough

Brown Sugar Crumble

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter cold
1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar

Apple Cranberry Filling

6 cups (600 grams) Granny Smith and Golden Delicious, thinly sliced apples
1 cup (100 grams) cranberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup (35 grams )all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

Brown Sugar Crumble

Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place it back in the refrigerator so it stays cold while you prepare the other ingredients.
Place the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium size bowl. Whisk until well combined. Add the cold cubed butter to the dry ingredients and toss the butter into the flour mixture with your hands until all the butter is well coated.
Use the pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until the butter is the size lima beans. You can also you use your hands if you don’t have a pastry blender. To mix it with your hands take each piece of cold butter and smash it flat between your index finger and thumb. Continue to do this until the butter is broken up and size of lima beans.
Add the brown sugar and use your hands to rub the sugar into the butter-flour mixture. The mixture should be crumbly and look like large bread crumbs. Refrigerate the crumble for 60 minutes or place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
The crumble can be made up to one week in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.

Pie Crust

Make the pie dough according to the instructions in the All-Butter Pie Crust recipe. Chill the dough for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days.
For a 9-inch pie plate roll the dough until is it 1/8-inch thick and 12-inches round on a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough in half and then half again so that you have a quarter. Place the dough in the pie plate do the corner of the dough is centered. Gently unfold the dough so the pie plate is completely covered, and the dough is overhanging the plate.
Trim the dough so that there is about a 1-inch overhang all the way around. Fold the dough under so that it rests on the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the dough using a fork or create your own design.
Refrigerate the prepared dough for at least 60 minutes.

Apple Cranberry Pie Filling

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a half baking sheet in the oven while the oven is preheating. The baking sheet is used to catch any of the fruit juices that bubble over, but baking the pie on a hot baking sheet also helps ensure that the bottom of the pie browns.
Peel and core the Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples. Thinly slice them, about 1/4-inch thick and place them in a large bowl with the cranberries.
Place the sugar in a small bowl and zest the orange directly on top of the sugar until you have about 1 teaspoon. Use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugar. Add the flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Pour the dry ingredients over the apple-cranberry mixture and gently fold in the dry ingredients.
Spoon the apple filling into the prepared pie dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar crumble over the fruit. Place the pie on the hot half baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake the pie for another 35-40 minutes until the apple-cranberry juices start to bubble. You’ll see small bubbles breaking through the brown sugar crumble.
Remove the pie from the oven, place it on a cooling rack and let it cool to room temperate. Of course there is nothing to stop you from digging into a hot pie, but the pie needs time cool and set up so the filling doesn’t run everywhere when you cut into it.

Storage

Store the pie at room temperature for 1 day and then refrigerate it for up to 1 week.

Notes

Recipe Update: After hearing from readers I updated the recipe for the brown sugar crumble so it is more crumbly. The recipe uses more flour and cold butter instead of melted butter.

Use firm apples for this recipe. They will hold their shape and create beautiful layers while baking.

The filling is enough for a 9-inch pie plate. If using a deep dish or larger dish you may need to double the amount of filling.

You may need to add a foil tent (covering) to the pie during baking so the crumble doesn't get too dark during baking. Take a large piece of foil, fold it half then open it so it resembles a tent. Carefully place this over the pie so it doesn't touch the surface of the crumble.

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