Cranberry & Orange Pies

Delicious individual shortcrust pastry pies packed with cranberry, orange and apple. Perfect for Christmas and a great alternative to mince pies!

At this time of year I cannot think of a better flavour combination than cranberry and orange.

There’s something about the sharpness of tart cranberries together with the sweet citrus of oranges that’s utterly irresistible! 

I know mince pies are more traditional at this time of year but there are a million good mince pie recipes out there, not to mention some delicious shop-bought options!

I’ve also come across a lot of people recently who don’t like mince pies! Crazy right!

So this year I thought I’d share a recipe for a mince pie alternative using those delicious flavours of tangy cranberry and orange.

What Ingredients will I Need?

• fresh cranberries
• red apples
• caster sugar
• oranges
• orange zest
• vanilla extract
• pastry
• cornflour
• water

A Note on Pastry!

I use ready rolled shortcrust pastry as it’s a fantastic product and a lot easier than making your own and trying to roll it out to the right thickness.

Not to mention getting the perfect flaky pie crust can be quite a skill!

But of course if you want to make your own pastry that’s absolutely fine too!

Or if you really want to cut some serious corners, you could use a ready made pastry case! But you would still need some extra pastry to to make the stars for the tops of the pies!

What Kitchen Equipment Will I Need?

• large saucepan
• potato masher
• pastry cutter
• muffin trays
• cup
• spoon

How To Make A Cranberry-Orange Pie

These pies are super easy to make. All the ingredients for the filling are simply chucked into a saucepan and left on the hob to bubble away while you get on with cutting out the pastry cases.

Step 1

Preheat your oven temperature to 200c / 400f

Step 2

Add the cranberries, apples, sugar, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla extract to the saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer on a medium to low heat for 10-12 minutes until the fruit is breaking down. This is where you can use the potato masher to break them down further.

Step 3

Roll out the two sheets of ready made pastry. (If you are making your own pastry, then you will need to roll this out onto a square of parchment paper or a lightly floured surface.)

Then use your pastry cutter to cut out 15 bottoms that the pie filling will go into. Gently press each of these into the muffin trays.

Use the remainder of the pastry to cut out 15 star shapes that will go on top of the pies.

Step 4

Mix the cornflour and water together in a cup until smooth. Then add this to the cranberry mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes until thickened.

Step 5

Divide the cranberry filling between the pastry cases in an even layer and bake in the oven until the edges of the pastry are golden brown. Allow them to cool a little in the muffin tray as they will be super hot! Then put them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 6

While the pies are cooling, place the pastry stars on some parchment or greaseproof paper and bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes until they are just starting to brown around the edges.

Step 7

Remove the stars from the oven and place them on top of the pies and they are ready to serve!

Serving Suggestions

These easy cranberry pies are lovely to have a stash of at home to enjoy with a cup of coffee or for when unexpected guests drop in over the holiday season!

But equally, they make easy desserts when you have guests! If I was serving them for dessert, I’d maybe add some candied orange peel to the top and dust with powdered sugar or icing sugar.

Serve with a dollop of cream or ice cream and you’ve got yourself a beautifully festive dessert!

Either way you, you need to have these little bites of Christmas on your holiday menu this year!

Storage Instructions

My recipe makes 15 pies and you can freeze them once they’re out of the oven and cooled.

You can then defrost them in a couple of hours at room temperature and warm again in the oven or microwave if you wanted them to be a little heated.

If you try this recipe this Christmas please do let me know what you think. Or tag me in a picture on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I’d love to see your pictures and hearing your comments about the recipes.

And for more festive recipes don’t forget to check out my Christmas Recipe section!

Print