Description
Cranberry Butterscotch Pie brings festive cheer straight to your holiday table with its perfect balance of tart cranberries and rich butterscotch flavor. Warm spices and a buttery crust make this dessert a crowd-pleasing treat your family will adore.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Supporting Ingredients:
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup water
Seasoning and Flavoring:
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 4–6 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Mix 1 ¼ cups flour and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl, ensuring even distribution.
- Quickly incorporate ½ cup cold butter and ¼ cup cold shortening into the flour using fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle 4-6 tablespoons ice water into the dough, gently combining until the mixture just holds together without becoming sticky.
- Shape the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 30-120 minutes to firm up.
- Roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface.
- Transfer the dough carefully to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing gently into the bottom and sides.
- Trim excess dough and crimp the edges using fingers or a fork to create a decorative border.
- Heat the oven to 375F. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, baking for 15 minutes.
- Remove weights and parchment, then bake the crust for an additional 10-15 minutes until light golden brown.
- Combine 12 ounces cranberries, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon orange zest, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of cloves in a saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes until cranberries burst and the sauce thickens.
- Pour the cooled cranberry mixture evenly into the pre-baked pie crust.
- Melt ½ cup butter with 1 cup brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in ½ cup heavy cream and ¼ cup milk until smooth.
- Whisk 2 egg yolks with 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a separate bowl.
- Slowly temper the egg mixture by adding a small amount of hot butterscotch while whisking continuously.
- Return the tempered eggs to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until the filling thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Pour the warm butterscotch filling over the cranberry layer, spreading evenly.
- Bake at 325F for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set but slightly jiggly in the center.
- Cool the pie completely on a wire rack.
- Chill for at least 2 hours for a firmer filling if desired.
- Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream as a delightful finishing touch.
Notes
- Keep your butter and shortening extremely cold to ensure a flaky, tender pie crust that doesn’t become tough or greasy.
- When making the cranberry layer, cook it just until the berries burst to maintain a vibrant color and fresh flavor.
- Tempering the egg yolks is crucial for a smooth butterscotch filling without scrambled egg bits.
- For a gluten-free version, swap regular flour with a high-quality gluten-free flour blend and use gluten-free pie weights.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Pies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 317 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 133 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 82 mg