Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie
This homemade apple pie is studded with tart cranberries and topped with a cinnamon-spiced oatmeal streusel. It's a great addition to your holiday pie table, or to bake and make any day special!
Equipment
Ingredients
Cranberry Apple Pie Filling
- 2 ½ - 3 lbs mixed baking apples
- ⅓ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¼ cup all purpose or wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
Struesel Pie Topping
- 4 tbsp salted butter slightly softened but not melted
- ½ cup rolled oatmeal
- ½ cup all purpose flour can substitute whole wheat
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ tsp salt (increase to 1 tsp if using unsalted butter)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp apple pie spice (substitute ⅛ tsp each of cloves, nutmeg, allspice, & mace, or your preferred blend of sweet spices)
Instructions
make streusel crumble:
- Mix the dry ingredients for the crumble topping together in a small mixing bowl, or pulse a few times to mix in a food processor fitted with a blade, or a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Using a pastry blender, a few butter knives, or a stout whisk, cut in the butter to the mixture until it is crumbly and evenly mixed. It should have the texture of wet sand, and you can adjust with another spoonful of flour or butter if it's too dry or sticking together too much. You can also rub the butter in with your fingertips, working quickly to not melt the butter with the warmth of your hands. If you're using a mixer or food processor, a few quick pulses should do the trick. Set this mixture aside (in the fridge if your kitchen is very warm).
roll out pastry crust:
- Roll out your pastry crust and fit it into your pie plate. Flute or crimp the edge decoratively, or use the floured tines of a fork to press the edge of the crust down evenly along the rim of the pie plate.
- Use any pastry scraps to patch holes in the crust, or save them to bake off for decorations (or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake them for a sweet snack).
- Place the prepared pie crust in the fridge or another cool place while you prepare the filling.
make the fruit filling:
- Peel, core, and slice the apples, tossing them with the lemon juice in a large mixing bowl as you work. If you are slicing them by hand, make thinner, even slices (1/4″ or so) if you want a softer, more tender fruit filling, or larger pieces if you prefer a chunkier pie filling with more discrete pieces of apple.
- Fold in the brown and white sugar, and sift the flour and spices over the top of the apples, and fold again until the apples are well-covered. The flour works to thicken the apple juices into a nice filling as the pie bakes.
- Sprinkle the fresh or frozen cranberries over the apples and stir again to mix.
fill and top the pie:
- Preheat the oven to 425℉ (220℃ or gas mark 7). Place the rack in the center of the oven.
- Fill the prepared pie crust with the apple & cranberry mixture. This will look like too much filling, and will be a tall mound over the pie. Don’t worry, it will bake down!
- Dot the top of the apple filling with a tablespoon or two of butter, cut into small pieces.
- Place the filled pie plate onto a baking sheet, and carefully cover the fruit filling with the crumbled oatmeal streusel topping, gently packing it into the nooks and crannies in the top and sides in a roughly even layer.
bake the cran-apple crumble pie:
- Bake the pie on the baking sheet to catch any overflow of juices or filling (this will save you a lot of cleanup, and make it easier to handle your pie in the oven safely).
- Set a timer for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375℉ (190℃ or gas mark 5) for the remainder of the baking time.
- As the pie bakes, the filling will sink down and the crumble topping will crisp up and turn golden brown. The pie is done when it is bubbly all the way through, the apples have softened, and the crust and crumble top are crisp. This will usually be at least 45-50 minutes at 375℉ (190℃).
- You may want to use a pie shield or a strip of aluminum foil around the outer crust rim so that it doesn’t burn before the pie is baked through. You can start with the edges covered and remove them for the last 10-20 minutes of baking, or cover them later if they are starting to brown too much- your preference!
- Let the pie cool for several hours for best results when slicing. The filling will still be very juicy and the slices won’t hold together well. It’s best to cool it completely and then gently rewarm the pie or individual slices before serving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
