As American as [Cranberry] Apple Pie

There’s just nothing on a cold winter day better than a hot apple pie–unless it’s a Cranberry-Apple pie.

I found this recipe online a while back and I’ve just been dying to try it.  I woke up to snow yesterday morning and had a little free time so it seemed like just the perfect time to make a pie.

This yummy recipe came from Ocean Spray, so if you want a nice, tidy printable download, you can find it here.

This recipe got rave reviews at my house.  The pie eaters are already clamoring for more.

Cranberry Apple Pie

The first thing to do is to peel and slice 4 cups of apples.  You can do it by hand if you really want to, but this nifty gadget is the best way to get apples ready for pie–or for any other apple dessert.

My kids think this is the coolest kitchen gadget ever.  In addition to peeling, slicing and coring apples with almost no effort, on a good day, we can remove the peel in one long, thin spiral.  When they were younger, they would beg for the peels, which is funny because they always asked me to peel their apples before they would ea them.  If you want to get one of these (and you will, once you use one), buy the one with a screw clamp on the bottom, not the suction cup.  I’ve never had good luck actually getting the suction cup to stay put.  

After running your apples through the Apple Peeler, Corer & Slicer, they’ll look like this.

For my pie, three large Granny Smiths did the trick.  They are my favorite pie apples.  After running through the peeler, I quarter the apples so I end up with more or less bite-sized slices.

In a medium to large mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup flour and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Add 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, if you’re a nut person (the nuts are optional).  Stir in 2 cups of Fresh or Frozen Cranberries (Ocean Spray, of course–is there even another brand?)

Once the cranberries are well-coated, add the apple slices and stir everything together, separating the apple slices as needed.

Pour the whole lovely mixture into a 9″ pastry crust.  Being a practical woman–and not having inherited my grandmother’s abilities with the pie crust, I rely on my good friend, the Pillsbury DoughBoy to do the job.

Top with a second crust.  Crimp the edges and don’t forget to cut slits in the top to let the steam escape.

Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for about 50 minutes or until the crust is a lovely shade of golden brown.  If the edges get too brown, you can cover them with foil.  I’ve found that it works better for me to cover the edges with foil before I put the pie in the oven and then uncover them for the last 15-20 minutes.

Set your pie on a rack to cool.  Guard it well from the pie-eating hordes until it’s cool enough to eat.

And there you have it–a little bit of winter-time heaven.  Happy pie-eating.