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Apple Cranberry & Currant Crumb Pie ~ a delicious pie with a fantastic combination of tart and sweet fruits, all soaked in a little brandy and topped with a tasty crumble
I ran off for a couple of days. I didn’t actually go anywhere, just stayed home and worked on my never ending list of things to do. I didn’t get everything done, but I made a dent. In addition to my pile-o-chores, I started getting recipes together for Thanksgiving. I kitchen-tested some homemade rolls which are fantastic.  (Recipe coming later this week) I even pulled the crock pot out and made a pot roast which will also be posted later this week. And, last but not least, I made pie No. 46 – Apple, Cranberry & Currant Crumb Pie! I can’t believe there are only 6 more pies to go. I think we’re about to enter the nut phase of pie making, not that the whole thing wasn’t nutty to begin with
I found this recipe on Simply Recipes and tweaked it just a bit. The ingredients seemed perfect for the final course of a Thanksgiving meal. You can taste the tart apples, juicy cranberries, brandy soaked currants, and the sweet crunchy topping. The other ingredient that really stands out is the orange zest. All the flavors really come through and all together they make a beautiful presentation.
First you need to soak the currants in brandy for a least an hour or until they are plumped.
While they’re soaking, mix up a single unbaked pie crust in a deep dish 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Refrigerate crust while preparing the filling.
Wash and pick over the fresh cranberries.
Zest a fresh orange – you’ll need 1 tablespoon.
Mix the white sugar, 6 tablespoons flour, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Peel, core and slice 6 cups tart apples like Granny Smith. Add the apples to the sugar cinnamon mixture as you go to prevent browning.
Once all apples are sliced, toss in the cranberries. Stir gently to prevent breaking the fruit.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the brandy soaked currants into the apple mixture. Hold on to the brandy – don’t pour it out!
Pour the apple filling and any juices into the unbaked pie crust. Drizzle with the reserved brandy and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine 1 cup of flour, 2/3 cup brown sugar and cut in 1/2 unsalted butter.
Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the apple filling.
Spread the topping to cover the pie. Place the pie on a foil lined baking sheet to catch any juices that bubble over.
Bake at 375 degrees for 55-60 minutes on the bottom half of the oven. Cover with foil if the top begins to brown too quickly. If you use a dark brown sugar the crumb topping will be darker. I used light brown sugar because that’s what I had in the cabinet.
Juicy!  Allow the pie to cool to room temperature. Serve slightly warm, cooled or refrigerate until needed.
Beautifully delicious!
PIN to  your favorite Pie Board!
Apple, Cranberry & Currant Crumb Pie
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 8 slices
Course: Dessert
Loaded with fruit and a terrific crumb topping
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust (see link in Notes)
- ¼ cup brandy
- ¼ cup dried currants
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 cups Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 2 ¼ pounds)
For the crumb topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- â…” cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
Instructions
- Mix and roll out a single pastry shell in a 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To prepare the filling:
- Mix the brandy and the currants in a measuring cup and set aside to soak until the currants are plump, about an hour.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons flour, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Peel, core and slice 6 cups of Granny Smith apples. Add the apples to the sugar cinnamon mixture and toss until well combined. Add the cranberries and stir gently to prevent smashing the fruit. Drain the currants but reserve the brandy. Add the currants to the apple mixture and mix gently. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and drizzle with the reserved brandy.
To prepare the crumb topping:
- In a medium mixing bowl combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup brown sugar and ½ cup unsalted butter. Blend until the butter forms small lumps. You can use your fingers or a pastry blender, whatever works best for you.
- Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the filling and spread evenly to cover the top. Place the pie on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 55-60 minutes at 375°F on the lower rack of the oven until the mixture is bubbly and the top is lightly browned. Cover the top with foil if the crumb mixture is browning too quickly.
- Cool the pie to room temperature and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Recipe Notes
- (Adapted from a recipe by Simply Recipes)
- We use our Perfect Pie Crust in 3 Easy Steps Recipe for this pie. Click HERE for the recipe and video tutorial.
Nutrition
Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 424IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m off to continue a frantic search for my cornbread dressing recipe and must have lost it somewhere in the pile. If I ever find it I’ll post it before Thanksgiving. Hope you have a terrific week! Check back Wednesday for mouth-watering, soft dinner rolls that are so wonderful!
Tricia
Pete
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and have never been disappointed. It’s well calculated and tastes amazing. I will add 2 T of bitters to the brandy and soak the currants and it adds a nice layer of complimentary spice.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Pete – the bitters sounds interesting – may have to give that a try. Thanks for the feedback and the adaptation! Have a wonderful holiday season 🙂
Angie's Recipes
This screams AUTURM out loud! The pie looks exquisite!
Cajunlicious
Tricia I am so thrilled you found me…I love cranberry pie, this looks fantastic!
Tricia @ saving room for dessert
Hey Mary – thanks for the link to the warm egg white meringue. How interesting and I will research this topic and may give it a try. I always use room temperature eggs but thought the whites would cook if warmed. I like that the meringue doesn't sweat as some do. My thought is it's worth a try. I don't think I have any more meringue pies to post this year – but may find another
Anna and Liz Recipes
Hi Tricia! We love your desserts! This is another great pie recipe from you and wonderful photos too!
Mary
This looks amazing, Tricia. I was going to email you, but I'm just going to spam you a link here, k? Have you ever heard of or tried a warm egg white meringue? If so, did you like it? I stumbled across this post earlier and the meringue method was unusual. However, she said that it didn't sweat at all and it was her best meringue ever. <br />Any thoughts? <br /><br />http://
em (WIne and Butter)
MMM – choosing the recipes is almost the best part of thanksgiving no!? This pie looks delish – apple pies with vanilla ice cream are one of the best desserts in the whole wide world!! xox
Emily Malloy
Holy perfection!
thecompletecookbook
What a tasty fruity and spicy pie!<br />:-) Mandy<br />PS. It is becoming quite a task trying to leave comments, every time, I have to resubmit it 3 times – has something changed? 🙂
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Oh, what a beauty!! I've made apple and cranberry, but the addition of brandy soaked currants sounds out of this world. This definitely looks like a holiday treat!! Hope your week goes smoothly and that you get lots done off your list! Thank you, Tricia! blessings ~ tanna
Foodness Gracious
Wow that's a great looking pie! I might have to adopt this for my thanksgiving. We split up the chores amongst the family and this year I'm dessert guy and rolls, yes rolls so wheres that recipe??<br />Take care..