I’ve been baking this apple cranberry pie for family Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for years. I love that it’s an apple pie, so traditional for the holidays, but the cranberries and crumb topping give it a special – and festive – vibe.

Oh, yes, the crumb topping. The liberal buttery-crisp top blankets the perfectly tender apples and tart cranberries. Served warm with a little vanilla ice cream? Pie nirvana.

Here’s the recipe!

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 1 hr 10 mins
Total: 1 hr 30 mins

Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie

No ratings yet
Looking for a twist on your typical apple pie recipe? Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie is just different enough to be special - and it may just be the perfect holiday dessert. It's certainly one of our faves.
Print Pin Rate
Yield: 8

Ingredients

Crumb topping

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I prefer dark but light works too)
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Pie filling

  • 4-5 large apples (peeled, cored, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 5 cups) (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Gala are all great))
  • 2 cups of your favorite homemade cranberry sauce (or 1 (16-ounce) can whole-berry cranberry sauce)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • Also
  • 1 pie crust for the bottom (your favorite recipe or store-bought refrigerated, no judgment!)
  • Vanilla ice cream

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • Make the crumb topping. Mix the flour, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the butter and cut in with your fingers until the mixture resembles large coarse crumbs.
  • Make the filling. In a large bowl, mix the apples, cranberry sauce, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch until well mixed.
  • Place the pie crust in a pie dish, and pour the apple filling into the shell. Mound it a little in the middle.
  • Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples. There will be a lot. Pack it down a bit, if necessary.
  • Place the pie on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for about an hour and 10 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust and top are golden brown.
  • Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 15 minutes.
  • Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Adapted from Bon Appétit