Cranberry Cheesecake Pie
This Cranberry Cheesecake Pie is perfect for the holidays. Lightly sweetened cheesecake is swirled with a tart homemade cranberry sauce in a shortbread like crust.
Ingredients
Cranberry sauce
- 8 oz (2 cups) fresh cranberries
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp orange zest, from 1/2 a small orange
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice, juice from 1/2 small orange
- 1/2 cup water
Crust and crumb topping
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
Cheesecake filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (see notes)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp orange zest, from 1/2 a small orange
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the cranberry sauce
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and water. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until the cranberries are soft and have thickened slightly. This should take about 10 minutes. Sometimes I will smash the cranberries with the back of a spoon to help them break down.
- Set the pot aside to cool, the sauce will thicken as it starts to cool.
Make the crust
- You can start making this while the cranberry sauce is cooking.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the butter and using a pasty blender or fork, mix until crumbly and hold together when you squeeze it in your hand. You can also do this with your hands, which is my preferred method.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the crust mixture for the topping. Pour the remaining mixture into a 9-inch pie or tart pan with a removeable bottom. (You can grease your tart pan if you are worried about it sticking.) Press the crust evenly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- If you use a pan with a removeable bottom, I recommend baking on a baking sheet to catch any leaks.
Make the cheesecake filling
- While the crust is baking you can make the filling.
- In a large bowl, place the cream cheese, sugar, and orange zest. Stirring by hand or using an electric or hand held mixer, mix until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until everything is combined and your mixture is smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the slightly cooled crust and spread out evenly.
- Drop spoonful's of the cranberry sauce over the cheesecake filling. Use a skewer or chop stick to slightly swirl the cranberry sauce with the cheesecake filling.
- Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the cheesecake.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set and the edges are golden brown. The cheesecake should still have a slight jiggle.
- Cool on a wire cooling rack before placing in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge, up to 5 days.
Notes
- This can be made with both regular and low fat cream cheese, I've used both and have never noticed a difference.
- I prefer to bake this the night before and serve the next day,
- If you prefer, you can use lemon instead of orange.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!