Erin Jeanne McDowell’s Cranberry-Orange Pie Recipe

This Erin Jeanne McDowell’s Cranberry-Orange Pie Recipe is a festive and layered recipe, which is made with a tart cranberry filling and a sweet orange cream cheese layer. It’s the perfect holiday dessert, ready after a few hours of cooling.

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Erin Jeanne McDowell’s Cranberry-Orange Pie Recipe Ingredients

For the All-Buttah Pie Dough:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
• 8 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten (for egg wash)

For the Cranberry Filling:

• 2 lb. cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Orange Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• Grated zest of 2 medium oranges
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly whisked
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

How To Make Erin Jeanne McDowell’s Cranberry-Orange Pie Recipe

1. Make the pie dough: In a large bowl, work the cold butter into the flour and salt until pea-sized pieces form. Add the ice water and mix until the dough just comes together. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Blind bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the dough and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Line with parchment paper, fill with pie weights, and bake for 15–17 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment, brush the bottom of the crust with a beaten egg, and bake for 2–3 minutes more. Let it cool completely.
3. Make the cranberry filling: In a medium pot, cook the cranberries, orange juice, sugars, and spices over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the berries soften. Reduce the heat and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes until thickened. Stir in the vanilla and let it cool completely.
4. Make the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, stir the room temperature cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the orange zest, powdered sugar, egg, extract, and salt until fully combined.
5. Assemble and chill: Pour the cream cheese filling into the cooled pie crust and spread it evenly. Freeze the pie for 15 minutes to set the layer.
6. Bake the pie: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spoon the cooled cranberry filling over the chilled cream cheese layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden brown.
7. Cool completely: Let the pie cool completely at room temperature before slicing and serving to allow the fillings to set.

Recipe Tips

• How to get a flaky crust? The secret is using very cold butter and ice water and not overworking the dough. This creates steam pockets in the oven, which results in those delicious, flaky layers.
• Can I make parts of this ahead of time? Yes. The pie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. The cranberry filling can also be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge.
• How to get clean, distinct layers? Freezing the pie for 15 minutes after adding the cream cheese layer is the key. This firms up the cream cheese so the cranberry filling can be spread on top without them mixing together.
• Why do I need to let the pie cool completely? This is the most crucial step for a clean slice! Both the cranberry and cream cheese fillings need several hours to cool and fully set. Slicing into a warm pie will result in a runny filling.

What To Serve With Cranberry-Orange Pie

This is a rich and festive pie that is perfect on its own or with a simple topping.

• A dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream
• A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream
• A sprinkle of fresh orange zest

How To Store Cranberry-Orange Pie

• Refrigerate: This pie must be stored in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese filling. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and it will keep for up to 4 days.

Cranberry-Orange Pie Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 550 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 70g
• Protein: 7g
• Fat: 28g
• Saturated Fat: 17g
• Sodium: 450mg
• Fiber: 6g
• Sugar: 45g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

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