I know cookies are the dessert many of us think of most this time of year. 

Trust me, cookies are happening in my kitchen right now. A couple hundred have been baked already.

(Yes. You read that right. Hi, my name is Holley, and I really like to bake. Would you like some cookies?)

But something in me also craves pie this time of year. Not just pie to eat. To bake too. 

I’m actually a relative newcomer to pie baking. I used to be a Chocolate-Dessert-Only-Please kind of woman. And my husband was a Vanilla-Dessert-Only-Please kind of man. Neither of us dug fruit desserts. So I didn’t make them, and we didn’t eat them. 

Sometime in the last few years, my husband started expanding his dessert horizons. Fruit was in. And I, who can never resist a taste from his dessert plate, realized fruit WAS in. Deliciously in. 

How on earth had I been missing out on the delight that is an excellent homemade pie? I really don’t know what to say, except that I’ve been making up for lost pie time ever since. 

I just counted. There are 8 pie recipes on this little blog already. Pies have (clearly) become one of my favorite thing to bake. 

I love every part of making the crust. I love choosing which type of fruit I use based on what’s fresh and in season. And I really, really, really love a crumb top. 

Some of what I enjoy so much about pie baking is the labor of it. To bake a pie, you need skill, practice, time. 

I will proclaim here loudly, boldly: the phrase “easy as pie” is a lie. 100% false. Maybe whoever originally said that meant easy as eating pie? Because so many factors can impact how a pie turns out.

General humidity. How much you work the dough. The ripeness of the fruit. How you slice the fruit. The temperature of the butter in the crust when it goes in the oven. The material the pan is made of. Whether you topped it with a crust. Or a crumb topping. Or a lattice. How long you bake it (more on that below).

It takes making pie over and over and over again to really master this craft. And all that practice takes time.

Every step of making a pie requires patience and intentionality. 

First, make your crust. Then let it chill for at least 2 hours. Once it’s good and solidly cold, gently roll it out. Then shape. Then chill again lest you risk your pie crust slipping and slumping as it bakes. Then there’s the preparation of the fruit. Peeling. Coring. Pitting. Slicing.

Is this the definition of a labor of love? Is the shape of a pie crust the shape of love?

I believe it is. 

It’s not just fruit and butter and flour and sugar that is poured into a pie. It’s your energy. Your labor. Your time. 

You’re pouring you into it. 

And what is love but the offering of ourselves to someone else?

This holiday season, I hope we remember that the making of a pie is not just an act of baking. Making a pie is an act of love. And the offering of it is a love letter to the eater.

“Dear one,

I thought about you. 

I made this for you to enjoy. 

You’re worth the time I spent making this. 

You matter to me.”

I know I’ve talked a lot here about how hard it is to make a good pie. But honestly, truly, I believe this with all my being:

How “good” your pie is doesn’t really matter. 

Your pie doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to look like it should be in a magazine. It doesn’t even have to taste incredible. Behind the butter and the sugar and fruit and sometimes the chocolate, what everyone will taste is the love. It’s really the best part of the pie. 

I love serving this sweet and slightly spicy pie in December. Something about the tart cranberries, lush pears, and snappy ginger crumb top shouts, “Holidays!” to me. Perhaps it’s the lovely colors? I recommend using the most delicious and ginger-y gingersnaps you can find. You can absolutely use homemade cookies if you feel so led! Can I tell you though that I had wonderful results using Target brand gingersnap cookies? I did! Who would’ve guessed? If all you have available are lackluster gingersnaps, however, don’t fret! Add a bit of pepper to the crumb topping to punch it up a bit.

You’ll see below that the baking time for this pie is almost 90 minutes. This is not a mistake. I’m not sure if it’s the juiciness of the pears or something about the cranberries (remember, baking is chemistry!), but this pie is just not done at the usual time of about 60 minutes. I know because I assumed the original recipe I adapted was wrong, pulled my pie out after an hour, and then was very sad to find a puddle of liquid flood the pan when I sliced into my pie a few hours later (at a party, to boot. Gasp!). As I’ve said before, you want pie juices with body. Dip a spoon into a pocket of them. Do the juices coat the tip of the spoon? That’s what your #piegoals are. You’ll also know the pie is done when it is bubbling rather ferociously, and cranberry-colored juices are escaping through the crumb topping.

Cranberry-Pear Ginger Crumb Pie

Adapted from: Pear-Cranberry Pie with Crumb Topping

Ingredients:
1 prepared pie crust (my hands down favorite can be found here)

Crumb topping:
4 ounces gingersnap cookies, homemade or packaged (number needed depends on size)
2/3 cup (2.38 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (optional)
Pinch salt
1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cubed

Filling:
2 pounds semi-ripe whole pears (I like Anjou)
1 - 1/2 cups ( 5.25 ounces) fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (4.69 ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (.5 ounces) cornstarch
Pinch salt

Directions:
For pie crust: On a well-floured surface, roll out pie crust to about a 12” diameter. Gently remove from rolling surface and drape into a standard 9” pie pan. Using your fingers, gently press the crust into the corners and up the sides of the pan. Trim edges so that about 1” of dough hangs over the edge of the pan, reserving trimmings for another use. Fold hanging dough under edge of dough in pan. Using your fingers or a spoon, crimp the edges of the dough around the circumference of the pan. Place prepared pan into the freezer while you prepare remaining ingredients.

For topping: Place gingerbread cookies in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to chop the cookies, then process until fine crumbs are formed, about 30 seconds. Alternatively, place cookies in a heavy duty ziptop bag and roll/whack/manhandle them with a rolling pin until finely crushed. You should have 1 cup of crumbs. Place the crumbs in a medium bowl and add the next seven ingredients (flour through salt). Whisk together. Add the butter. Using your hands, mix together the ingredients until uniformly combined and the mixture holds its shape when squeezed. Break the topping into large, loose clumps and refrigerate until ready to top pie.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position. Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

For filling: Peel pears. Cut into quarters, core, then slice 1/4” thick and cut slices in half. Place pears and cranberries in a large bowl; add vanilla. In a separate small bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and pinch salt. Add sugar mixture to fruit and toss until fruit is thoroughly coated and no dry spots remain.

Assemble the pie: Remove prepared pie pan from the freezer and place on foil-covered baking sheet. Pour fruit filling into crust. Distribute refrigerated crumb topping evenly over the surface of the fruit, trying to make sure all of it is covered. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until edges of crust and crumb topping are nicely browned; you may think the pie is done. You will be wrong. Loosely cover top of pie with foil and return to oven. Bake pie for 25 - 30 more minutes, or until pie is bubbling and juices are thickened and quite sticky. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 4 hours before slicing. Yield: 8 gorgeously cranberry-tinted slices.