This ginger molasses cranberry pie with swiss meringue is the perfect Christmas pie! Who says pie is just a Thanksgiving dessert?!
With holiday flavors like these, this pie will fit in just right on your Christmas table. Made with an ultra flaky pie crust, this pie has a lower cranberry filling, a ginger molasses pastry cream center, and silky swiss meringue topping. You'll definitely be coming back for another slice.
For more pie recipes, try Pecan Brownie Pie, Cardamom Cherry Pie, and Turtle Pecan Pie.
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Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Four: You’ll need a little more than one cup of flour for the crust.
- Butter: You'll need one stick of cold unsalted butter for the crust.
- Vodka: Vodka is added to the pie crust because it hinders gluten development, resulting in a more tender + flaky crust!
- Ice Water: Start with about ½ cup of ice water and use as much as you need until the dough holds together, but is not overly wet.
- Cranberries: You'll need about 600g or over 1 lb. of cranberries. Both, fresh or frozen cranberries will work.
- Sugar: You'll three different sugars for the cranberry filling: maple syrup, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar. You'll also need dark brown sugar for the pastry cream and granulated sugar for the meringue.
- Spices: Use a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice in both the cranberry filling and pastry cream.
- Eggs: You'll need 4 egg yolks for the pastry cream and 3 egg whites for the swiss meringue.
- Molasses: Add a touch of molasses to the pastry cream for the perfect christmasy flavor.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch will help thicken the pastry cream.
- Milk: Use whole milk for the best flavor in the pastry cream.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this ginger molasses cranberry pie recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the pie dough. Make your pie dough ahead of time so it's fully folded and chilled before rolling out to bake.
STEP 2: Dock and crimp. Carefully place in the pie pan, pressing up against the sides. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Take the pie crust out and crimp the edges as desired. Dock the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork, then chill for another 30 minutes.
STEP 3: Par-bake the crust. Place a large piece of parchment paper over the pie crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans all the way up to the crimp. Place the pie pan on the hot baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes or until barely golden. Take the pan out, take all of the pie weights out, then brush the pie crust with an egg wash all over, except for the edges. Bake for an additional 3 minutes. Allow pie crust to cool completely before adding the cranberry filling.
STEP 4: Make the cranberry filling. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except vanilla. Heat over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often until the berries start to break down. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently until it has thickened. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, then pour onto a baking sheet to cool completely.
STEP 5: Bake. Once cool, pour into the par-baked pie crust and bake at 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.
STEP 6: Cool. Cool the pie completely before topping with pastry cream.
STEP 7: Make the pastry cream. Make the ginger molasses pastry cream and immediately spread it on top of the cooled cranberry pie. Press plastic wrap directly up against the pastry cream and chill the pie in the fridge overnight.
STEP 8: Top with meringue. Just before serving, make the swiss meringue and spread it on top of the chilled pie.
Expert Baking Tips
- Be sure to read this recipe all the way through before starting! There are a few things going on at the same time.
- The method of rolling and folding the pie dough results in a incredibly flaky crust that is also much easier to work with when assembling the pie!
- The key to pie dough is to always keep it cold. After every time you roll it out, crimp it, or touch it at all, it need to be chilled again for a few minutes.
- I do not recommend freezing the pie dough at any point before going in the oven.
- Preheat the oven with a baking sheet in it. Placing the pie on top of the hot baking sheet will help to get that crisp bottom crust!
- Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil when baking it with the cranberry filling.
Recipe FAQs
Cut cold cubed butter into the flour until quarter sized pieces are left. Roll the chilled pie dough out into a rough rectangle, then fold it into quarters. Chill for a few minutes, then repeat. This series of rolling and folding creates layers and layers of butter and dough. When the pie dough is baked, the butter creates steam and pushes the layers of dough upwards, creating an ultra flaky, buttery crust!
Of course! But if you have the time, I encourage you try homemade. It's so much better than store-bought, and it is surprisingly easy to make!
For the best results, this pie should be made over the course of three days. It's the perfect make-ahead pie, so all you have to do Christmas day is top it with swiss meringue!
Day 1: Make the pie dough. It will need to be given a couple of folds with 30 minute rest times, and then chilled overnight.
Day 2: Par-bake the pie crust, make the cranberry filling, and bake the filling in the crust. Then make the pastry cream and spread it on top of the cranberry filling. Chill the pie overnight.
Day 3: Make the swiss meringue and decorate the pie!
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other holiday recipes you'll love
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📖 Recipe
Ginger Molasses Cranberry Pie with Swiss Meringue
Equipment
- 9" Pie Pan
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 113 g butter, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 25 g vodka
- ½ cup ice water
For the Cranberry Filling:
- 600 g cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 75 g maple syrup
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
For the Pastry Cream:
- 4 egg yolks
- 135 g dark brown sugar
- 15 g molasses
- 14 g cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 227 g whole milk
- 28 g unsalted butter, room temp
- 2 teaspoon vanilla paste
For the Swiss Meringue:
- 105 g egg whites
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
Instructions
For the Pie Crust:
- In a medium bowl combine the flour and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss in the flour.
- Using your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until quarter sized pieces are left.
- Add the vodka and a small amount of water, then toss with your hands to combine.
- Continue adding small amounts of water until the dough can hold together, but is not overly wet.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, then chill for one hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, fold in half, then again into quarters. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for another 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out again into a rough rectangle and repeat the folding process. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill overnight.
- The next day, roll out the pie dough into a rough circle about ⅛″ in thickness.
- Carefully place in the pie pan, pressing up against the sides. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Take the pie crust out and crimp the edges as desired. Dock the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork, then chill for another 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 425 degrees F.
- Place a large piece of parchment paper over the pie crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans all the way up to the crimp.
- Place the pie pan on the hot baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes or until barely golden.
- Take the pan out, take all of the pie weights out, then brush the pie crust with an egg wash all over, except for the edges.
- Bake for an additional 3 minutes. Allow pie crust to cool completely before adding the cranberry filling.
For the Cranberry Filling:
- In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except vanilla.
- Heat over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often until the berries start to break down.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently until it has thickened.
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, then pour onto a baking sheet to cool completely.
- Once cool, pour into the par-baked pie crust and bake at 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.
- Cool completely before topping with pastry cream.
For the Pastry Cream:
- Heat the milk in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer or about 200 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, brown sugar, molasses, cornstarch, and spices together for 2-3 minutes until light in color.
- Once the milk is simmering, slowly pour half into the egg-sugar mixture, whisking at the same time to temper the eggs.
- Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly. After a couple minutes, a layer of bubbles will form over the top and it will begin to thicken.
- Once the bubbles disappear, continue whisking for one more minute, then remove from heat.
- Stir in the butter and vanilla.
- Immediately spread on top of the cooled cranberry filling.
- Press plastic wrap directly up against the pastry cream and chill the pie in the fridge overnight.
For the Swiss Meringue:
- In a double boiler, heat the egg whites and sugar, whisking frequently until it reaches 160 degrees F or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites do not feel grainy.
- Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until soft peaks form, then add the vanilla. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form.
- Decorate the pie as desired, and enjoy!
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