Creamy Cranberry Pie Recipe with Gingersnap Crust

A whole creamy Cranberry curd Pie with sugared cranberries on a dark background.

Creamy Cranberry Pie Recipe with Gingersnap Crust

This Creamy Cranberry Pie with Gingersnap Crust is a gorgeous, show-stopping holiday dessert that tastes as good as it looks!

Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Please read the recipe in full before starting.

5 from 11 votes

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Course: pie

Cuisine: dessert

Keyword: cranberries, gingersnaps, key lime pie, meyer lemon

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 379kcal

Author: Nicole Gaffney (ColeyCooks.com)

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs *see note
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

For the Filling

12 ounce (1 package) fresh or frozen cranberries about 3 cups
1 ½ cups granulated sugar divided
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest OR 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice OR ¼ cup orange juice and ¼ cup lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter room temperature, cut into pieces
Fresh whipped cream for serving
Sugared cranberries for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Make the Crust:

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Add gingersnap cookie crumbs, butter, brown sugar and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the crumbs are moistened, then transfer to a deep 9-inch pie dish. Use a measuring cup to press the crust firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
Bake for about 12-13 minutes or until crisp and slightly darkener. If the crust falls off the sides, use the measuring cup to gently press it back into place while still hot. Let cool.

Make the Filling:

Add cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the berries burst open and the mixture thickens, about 15-20 minutes. The texture should resemble cranberry sauce.
Puree in the food processor (or blender) until it's as smooth as possible. This may take a good 3-4 minutes. *Use caution blending hot liquids.
Add the eggs, egg yolks, Meyer lemon zest (or orange/lemon zest), Meyer lemon juice (or orange/lemon juice), salt, and remaining ½ cup sugar to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Scrape the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water) at about medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly with a rubber spatula until it thickens up like a curd and nicely coats the back of a spoon, about 15-20 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Don't rush this step - it's essential to getting the filling to set up.
Remove the pan from the heat. Set a fine meshed strainer over a bowl, then pour the curd through. Press with a rubber spatula to make sure you get as much of the curd through as possible while leaving the bits of cranberry skin and coagulated egg in the strainer. Let cool until just barely warm.
Beat the curd with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, adding softened (very important) butter one piece at a time. Be sure each piece of butter is fully incorporated before adding in the next.
Continue beating the curd until all of the butter has been incorporated and it looks a few shades lighter in color, about 6 minutes.
Pour the curd into the prepared crust and smooth out the top. Gently bang the pie dish on the counter to remove any air bubbles, then chill until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight is best.
Pie can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled until ready to serve.

To Serve

Top the pie with sugared cranberries right before serving. Serve with fresh whipped cream on the side.

Notes

Crust can be baked up to 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until needed.
The amount of gingersnap cookies needed for the crumbs will vary by brand. Blitz up about 3 cups of loosely packed cookies in the food processor, then measure out 2 cups for the crust.
You can use a store-bought pie dough or crust in place of the homemade Gingersnap Crust to make it easier.
Make sure the cranberries get nice and thick when they cook down with the sugar. The mixture should resemble cranberry sauce or jam and be thick, not liquidy.
Always use caution when blending hot liquids. Do not use a bullet-style blender or any blender that does not allow steam to escape or the pressure will cause it to explode upon releasing. Let the mixture cool down, make sure there is room for steam to escape and cover the processor with a towel to be extra careful.
Really take your time and make sure the cranberry curd properly thickens. Keep stirring and scraping until it resembles pudding.
Be sure to incorporate the butter slowly, one piece at a time. If your butter starts to melt, the mixture is too hot. If the butter won't incorporate, then either the mixture or your butter is too cold.
Make sure you give this pie a MINIMUM of 10 hours in the refrigerator to chill, but it may need more. I highly recommend making it at least one day in advance.

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