Refined Sugar-Free Apple Cranberry Pie

This dessert has come to be affectionately known in my household as “The Christmas Pie.” I first made this refined sugar-free apple cranberry pie for my husband and I’s 2020 Covid Christmas. Because it was just the two of us, the stakes were pretty low — but the return on this experimental recipe was very high.

One of the things that I love about my husband is how much he appreciates the meals and desserts I make for us. I love cooking and baking, but it’s much more meaningful when you get to share that with someone who values and enjoys it. When he took his first bite of this pie, he stopped chewing, looked at me in awe, and mumbled “Oh my god this is one of the best things you’ve ever made” through a mouthful of pie. And still, to this day, he asserts that this is my best recipe.

A few Thanksgivings ago, I started making fresh cranberry sauce, which sparked the idea for combining the sweetness of apples with the tartness of cranberries in a pie. The cranberry sauce recipe I was using includes fresh orange juice and cinnamon, so I pulled those flavors into the pie. I also wanted this recipe to have a warmth and punchy spice to it, so nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves round out the flavor profile.

Honeycrisp apples are my go-to baking apples since they are nice and tart and hold their shape well during baking. I like my apple pies to have nice big chunks of apples instead of a soft, mushy filling.

For all of my fruit pies, I use Martha Stewart’s Easy Pie Crust recipe (omitting the 1 tsp of sugar). I do tend to need a bit more water than this recipe calls for in order to get the dough to start coming together. I would also definitely recommend watching the video on that recipe page for some very helpful tips!

This refined sugar-free apple cranberry pie looks beautiful with the dramatic pops of red cranberries peeking through a lattice crust. Because of the added liquid from the maple syrup, you will want to make sure that your bottom crust is as chilled as possible before this pie goes into the oven to avoid a soggy bottom. Roll out your bottom crust, transfer to your pie plate, then place it in the fridge while you roll out your top crust and assemble your filling. You can also put the fully assembled pie in the freezer while you preheat the oven to ensure a flaky crust.

Refined Sugar-Free Apple Cranberry Pie

Bursting with Christmas flavors, this refined sugar-free apple cranberry pie features orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and maple syrup for a perfect mix of sweetness, tartness, and warmth.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 550 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 6 large apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
• 1 cup fresh cranberries (rinsed and dried)
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 TBSP orange zest
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

 

• Prepare a double pie crust according to separate instructions.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, cranberries, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, flour, and cornstarch. Mix until fruit is evenly covered with dry ingredients.
• Add maple syrup, then stir until all dry ingredients are fully dissolved.
• Roll out the bottom pie crust. Place in a 9-inch pie plate.
• Spoon the filling into the crust.
• Arrange a lattice crust on top and crimp edges to seal.
• Place pie in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for 40-50 minutes.

Notes

If you like a really spicy and flavorful pie, used rounded spoonfuls for the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove measurements!

Keyword Apple Cranberry Pie, Apple Pie, Maple Syrup