Apple Pear Pie with Craisins

An apple pear pie with a large slice taken out.

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Apple Pear Pie with Craisins is incredibly delicious. If you're going to take the time to bake a pie from scratch, this is the pie you need to make!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

chill time for the dough2

Total Time3 15

Course: Dessert - Pie, fruit pie, pie crust

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple pear pie, apple pear pie with craisins

Servings: servings

Calories: 1591kcal

Author: Renee Goerger

Equipment

Ingredients

For the crust:

5¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1½ sticks cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1¾ cups solid vegetable shortening chilled and cut into small pieces
1 cup of ice water
1 teaspoon almond extract

For the filling:

6 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼" slices
4 pears I used Bartlett, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼" slices
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup craisins optional
¼ cup ginger vodka to soak craisins, optional
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
2 tablespoons sugar to coat

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Instructions

To make the crust:

-Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
-Add the chilled butter and shortening to the flour mixture using a pastry blender, and cut this into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Be patient, as this will take quite some time.
*Note - I made my crust by hand using a pastry blender. Next time, though, I think I'll use my food processor. Maybe I'll have better luck with my consistency.
-Switch to a wooden spoon and add the almond extract and enough ice water to form a dough that holds together when squeezed in your hand. *Note - you may not need the entire cup of ice water.
-Turn the dough onto a work surface and fold it over on itself a few times but don't get carried away. The dough will be soft but firm sufficiently in the refrigerator.
-Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
-Once chilled, roll out one of the doughs on a lightly floured surface so that it's large enough to cover the pie pan by a few extra inches.
-Using the rolling pin to drape the dough, transfer it to the pie pan.

To make the filling:

-Soak the Craisins in the ginger vodka in a small bowl for approximately ½ hour.
-Drain and drink the vodka (optional).
-Peel, core, and slice the apples and pears and add them into a large bowl.
-Toss the fruit gently with the flour.
-Add the drained Craisin mixture to the bowl and add the salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.
-Stir gently but well to combine.
-Spoon the apple mixture into the pie pan with the bottom crust, mounding it in the center.
-Dot the mixture with the butter.
-Roll out the top pie crust as you did the bottom crust and carefully transfer it to the top of the apple pie.
-Trim the edges of the extra crust, carefully leaving enough remaining to fuse the top and bottom crusts together.
-Wet the rim of the crust with water to effectively close the edges and crimp to completely seal the two crusts.
-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
-Cut some vents in the top of the dough with a paring knife, and if desired, cut out and adhere some leaf shapes to the top of the pie using some of the trimmed dough.
-Brush the top of the pie with the heavy cream and sprinkle it with sugar.
-Place the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for at least an hour or until the crust is golden and the juices start running from the pie.
-Allow the pie to cool on a baking rack for at least an hour and then serve.

Notes

Store the apple pear pie (covered well) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

The pie may be frozen after baking. Cool the pie completely and then wrap it well in several layers of cling wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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