Quick & Easy: Cranberry apple pie

Associated Press

Cranberries aren't just for Christmas. Try this pie for an old-fashioned treat, which is baked free-style, not fitted into a pie pan.

Cranberry Apple Pie

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tart-sweet apples, peeled, cored, quartered, then each quarter cut crosswise into 4 pieces
• 2/3 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries (or 1/2 cup dried cranberries soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes and drained)
• 1 uncooked pie crust for 8-inch pie, chilled

Combine sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon with fingertips or 2 knives until crumbly; set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out pie pastry on lightly floured surface to a 15-inch circle. Fold it gently into quarters and transfer to a large baking sheet. Unfold and arrange apples in center 10 inches of dough; sprinkle with cranberries. Sprinkle with sugar mixture. Bring outer edge of dough 2 1/2 inches over apples, pleating as needed. Gently press the outside edge of dough to the pan for form a firm rim.

Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Check after 15 minutes and, if necessary, cover with foil to prevent crust from becoming too brown. Cool on rack 10 minutes; serve warm.