This Five Spice Cranberry Apple Pie will take your holiday apple pie to the next level. Filled with apples, cranberries, comforting spices, and topped with a crumb topping and a sweet glaze. This pie will be the talk of the table!
If you're looking for more apple pie recipes, check out some of my faves like my Vanilla Bean Apple Pie, Apple Berry Pie, or my Caramel Apple Pie.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Thanksgiving is upon us, and Christmas is right afterwards. So I’m sharing an easy holiday apple pie recipe that you can make for Thanksgiving or Christmas! This Five Spice Cranberry Apple Pie has all the holiday vibes.
This is the best spiced apple pie recipe that I’ve made, and I have quite a few on my site already including my Spiced Nectarine Apple Pie and my Cardamom Apple Pie which is one of my faves. But this Five Spice Cranberry Apple Pie really takes the cake!
This easy holiday apple pie starts out with my flaky all butter pie crust. The filling is made up of Braeburn Apples, cranberries, cane sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and Chinese five spice (which is my secret ingredient!). I love baking with Chinese Five Spice around the holidays. It really just makes baked goods taste like the holidays, that’s the best way to describe it! I have so many other recipes using this spice, such as my Spiced Cranberry Snack Cake, Christmas Sandwich Cookies, Blueberry Babka Coffee Cake and more!
Okay, back to this Five Spice Cranberry Apple Pie though. I add a crumb topping onto this pie and then I drizzle it with a sweet glaze. This helps give a little extra sweetness to the pie as the cranberries are tart, and the Braeburn Apples have a tartness to them as well.
So, spice up your Thanksgiving pie this year and make the best spiced apple pie recipe. And if you don’t make it for Thanksgiving then this Five Spice Cranberry Apple Pie is also perfect for Christmas. What are you waiting for? Get the recipe below.
FAQ's
Can I use another kind of apple?
Yes, if you can’t find Braeburn Apples you can use something else. I chose this apple because it is both sweet and tart. Try using a Pink Lady or Pink Cripps Apple if you can find them. You can also use Gala, Fuji, and even Granny Smith if you prefer a more tart apple.
Can I make this pie ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this pie up to one day in advance. I will usually make this the evening before I plan to serve it. So, that means make the pie crust two days in advance. Then roll out and bake the pie one day in advance. Just leave the baked pie out on the counter. Do not put it in the fridge or cover it as it can become soggy.
What if I don’t have Chinese Five Spice?
Then go out and get some! This is a spice that may seem fancy or difficult to find, but you can really find this at any grocery store! My favorite is Frontier Co-Op and that’s what I used in this recipe. If you just can’t get Chinese Five Spice, you can make the pie without it, but it won’t be as good! This is a crucial ingredient for this pie. You can substitute it with Allspice if you have that, but the flavor is definitely different.
Ingredients for Five Spice Cranberry Apple Pie
Costco Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar
Homemade Organic Light Brown Sugar
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour
Organic Braeburn Apples
O Organics Cranberries
Frontier Co-Op Organic Chinese Five Spice
Frontier Co-Op Organic Korintje Cinnamon
Wholesome Organic Powdered Sugar
Why Organic
Why use organic ingredients in this recipe? You all know I’m a huge organic advocate, and I bet you may be thinking sometimes, Why would I even bother to use organic ingredients in something that is so sweet and indulgent? But, that is the exact reason why you should use organic ingredients! Sweet things need to have flavor in order to be good, otherwise they are just sweet and they don’t taste like much else. Organic ingredients are more pure than conventional ones, therefore they actually have more flavor than the non organic options. Say it with me, organic means more flavor! And not just more flavor but a more true and pure flavor. And organic ingredients are much healthier for you to eat in general as they do not contain GMOs or anything artificial. Plus, you are being environmentally friendly when you choose organic ingredients!
So, I highly recommend that you buy the best organic ingredients for this recipe! You can also shop my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite organic ingredients here. Tip – hover over each ingredient to see the name. And if you want to learn more about organic foods and the difference, read my post here on Food Labels and What They Mean.
Make the best spiced apple pie recipe this holiday season! Try out my Five Spice Cranberry Apple Pie, I'm sure you will love it as much as I do!
Ingredients
- Crust
1/2 cup (113 grams) organic salted butter, cold
127 grams (1 cup) organic all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon organic cane sugar
1/4 cup cold water
- Filling
57 grams (1/4 cup) organic cane sugar
57 grams (1/4 cup) packed organic light brown sugar
21 grams (3 tablespoons) organic all purpose flour
1 teaspoon organic cornstarch
1 teaspoon organic Chinese Five Spice
1/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon
2 organic Braeburn Apples
142 grams (5 ounces) organic cranberries
- Topping
95 grams (3/4 cup) organic all purpose flour
113 grams (½ cup) organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon organic Chinese Five Spice
6 tablespoons (85 grams) organic salted butter, melted
- Glaze
71 grams (1/2 cup) organic powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon water
Directions
- To make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, and cane sugar. Turn on low for two to three rotations to combine the dry ingredients.
- Remove the butter from the fridge and chop into small cubes. The smaller the cubes, the flakier the crust: Cut the stick of butter into four and then chop into small cubes from there. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Measure out the cold water and have it ready.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly start to incorporate the ingredients. Gradually turn the mixer to medium speed. Once the butter mixture looks like wet sand, immediately add in all the cold water. As soon as the dough comes together, stop the mixer.
- Have a piece of plastic wrap ready, and form it into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to cool in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To make the filling: In a medium bowl, add the cane sugar, light brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, Chinese Five Spice, and cinnamon. Mix together to combine completely.
- Slice the apples, leaving the skins on, add to the sugar and flour mixture and coat completely. Add the cranberries and mix together. Set aside.
- To make the topping: In a medium bowl, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and Chinese Five Spice and swirl together. Add the melted butter and stir with a spatula until combined. Set aside.
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan with butter. Remove the pie dough from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. Roll out the into a disk that is 1/4-inch thick, it should be about 11-inches in diameter. Place the pie dough into the pie pan, and press lightly to form against the pan. It should be large enough that the dough folds right over the top of the pan.
- Roll the excess dough into the pie pan so it’s even with the edges of the pie pan. Flute the edges by using your thumb and index finger of your right hand to pinch the rolled edge of dough and push your index finger of your left hand into it to create the “flute”. Continue around the entire pie to flute the edges.
- Add the filling into the pie pan and spread evenly. Crumble the topping on top of the pie.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
- To make the glaze: In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and water and whisk together. Drizzle over the top of the pie.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe Video
Notes
- High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, or until golden brown.
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