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If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, look no further! This cranberry orange pie combines tangy cranberries with a sweet, spiced orange twist. Wrapped in a crisp pie crust and served with a scoop of ice cream, this dessert is sure to be a new favorite!

Has anyone else come to the realization that Thanksgiving is just 2 ½ weeks away?! I just packed up the Halloween stuff, I'm not ready for this! But you know what I am ready for? Pie. I am always ready for pie.

And although pumpkin pie will always be a favorite, I wanted to do something a little different this year. Something that still hit all the right Thanksgiving overtones but with a twist. And then it hit me: cranberry sauce but sweet... and also pie.

Now, if you're not a cranberry sauce fan, don't leave just yet! I'm normally not either, but this pie will literally change your mind. Sweet, tangy, and topped with a giant scoop of vanilla bean ice cream: it's everything you didn't know your Thanksgiving was missing.

How to make cranberry orange pie

First, make your filling. You'll want to pulse about half of your cranberries in a blender or food processor so you have a nice mix of cut and whole berries.

Stir together the berries, orange juice and orange zest. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients, stir and add to the rest of the filling. Stir until everything is well coated.

Second, press a pie crust into a 9" pie pan (If you're interested in making your own, I highly recommend checking out my guide to making pie dough). Add your filling and top with cubes of butter. Cover with another pie crust and trim away the excess.

Finally, bake your pie, cool and enjoy (preferably with a big ol' scoop of ice cream)!

How to make the perfect pie

If you're new to pie making, no worries! Here are some tips to help you make this pie perfectly the first time around.

Keep your pie dough cold. Because pie dough is mostly butter and flour, you'll want to keep it cold at every step of the process. And a pie that has cold dough when it enters the oven is less likely to sink down as it bakes. It also produces a flakier crust.
Handle the dough as little as possible. This goes back to the notion of keeping your dough cold but also because pie dough can get tough if it's handled too much.
Use aluminum foil or a "pie shield" to protect your crust while baking. As we all know, the outer edges of the crust tend to brown faster than the center of the pie. You can keep the edges from getting too dark by loosely folding strips of aluminum foil around the outer edge or by using a pie shield.
Make sure your filling is bubbling. While we often look to the crust as an indication of doneness, we also want to make sure the filling is boiling. Fruit pies, in particular, need to boil in order to thicken properly.
Brush your crust with an egg wash. Beating an egg and brushing it onto the crust of your pie will help you get that perfect golden brown color with just a hint of shine.
Shelf life: this pie will keep for approximately 2 days at room temperature.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

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