This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Although I make most of the desserts at our house, every once in a while, my husband Jack gets inspired to start baking. We were shopping in the produce section at our local market – when Jack simply said, “I’m going to make a Fall Fruit Pie!”
Totally OK by me…a Fall Fruit Pie sounded delicious! 🙂 Jack loaded up our shopping cart with a collection of Fall fruits – apples, pears and cranberries – and then he got to work as soon as we arrived home.
This Fall Fruit Pie starts with a simple, homemade pie crust that gets loaded with sliced and sautéed Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples, D’Anjou pears, and fresh cranberries. (That pre-sauté step is the key to a perfect fall fruit pie that is cooked all the way through but not too runny from the juices of the fruit.) Finally, the pie is topped with a sweet cinnamon crumb topping before baking.
The flavors in this pie are perfectly balanced – sweet and spicy apples and pears with a wonderful tartness from the fresh cranberries. Serve with some vanilla ice cream on the side for a perfect Fall dessert!
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Fall Fruit Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons ice cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2–4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
- 1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
- 3 Granny Smith apples
- 2 Golden Delicious apples
- 2 D’Anjou pears slightly hard
- 6 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Topping
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- To make the crust, place the flour, salt, cold butter, cold cheese, sugar and egg yolk in a food processor and pulse ten times.
- Add up to four tablespoons of ice water and pulse as you add. The mixture will be a bit crumbly but should come together if you reach in a pinch a little in your hand.
- Pour out onto a piece of plastic wrap and using the sides of the plastic, pull together into a ball. Wrap and press into a disc shape. Refrigerate for at least one hour. This can be done a day in advance.
- While the dough is resting, make the filling.
- Place the butter in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven and melt over medium heat.
- Peel and core the apples and pears and slice into ¼ inch slices and add to the butter. Add the cranberries to the apples and pears.
- Add the both sugars and flour and stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir gently and cook for 5 more minutes, being careful that the mixture does not stick to the bottom. The mixture should be thick and creamy and the fruit still a bit hard.
- Pour the hot filling onto a sheet pan and cool to room temperature. (I put mine in the refrigerator to cool quicker).
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any drips. Ours dripped a small amount.
- Lightly dust your counter and roll out the dough to two inches wider than a 9 ½ or 10” deep dish pie plate (2” deep).
- Place the dough into the pie dish and pinch all overhanging dough across the outer rim. Then make attractive fluting with your thumb and forefinger.
- Pour the cooled fruit mixture into the prepared pie dish.
- Mix the softened butter, flour, brown sugar, white sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and spread over the top of the filling.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F then lower to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for about 35 to 40 minutes longer or until the fruit is tender when poked with a knife and the top has browned.
- Cool completely before serving. We chilled ours overnight.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
You may also like:
Slow Cooker Applesauce with Cranberries
I’m relatively new to baking, and I am curious, what is the benefit of adding sharp cheddar into the pie crust? Does it help to act as a bonding agent or is it mainly for flavor!
Thanks for posting!
Hi Seth – Mostly for flavor but it will also add a creaminess to the baked crust. Hope you enjoy the recipe!