Nantucket Cranberry Pie
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Nantucket cranberry pie is pure holiday magic—a delightful mix of pie, cobbler, and cake that’s incredibly easy to whip up.
Adapted from an old Gourmet magazine recipe by the late food writer and novelist Laurie Colwin, Nantucket cranberry pie is not actually a pie but rather a cross between a pie, a cobbler, and a cake. It is the easiest dessert you can imagine—and, yet, astonishingly delicious. Whole fresh (or frozen) cranberries and pecans are scattered into a pie dish, covered in sugar, and then topped with a simple one-bowl cake batter. As the dessert bakes, the cranberries burst, mingling with the cake batter and pecans to create a dessert that is buttery, tart, sweet, and crunchy. The “pie” can be served warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with unsweetened or very lightly sweetened whipped cream (the dessert itself is plenty sweet).
“Soooo yummy! A new favorite that will be made every winter for the rest of my life!”
Why Is The Dessert Named After Nantucket?
The origin of the recipe is unclear, but one could assume it’s because cranberries are grown primarily in the northeastern United States with Massachusetts having some of the oldest cranberry vines dating back to the time of the Pilgrims. Fresh cranberries are easy to find during the holiday season and can be frozen for use year round; there is no need to thaw them before using. If you have an abundance of cranberries, you might also enjoy my cranberry nut bread or cranberry apple crumble.
What You’ll Need To Make Nantucket Cranberry Pie
- Butter – Used in both the cranberry pecan base and the topping to add richness and help bind the ingredients.
- Cranberries – Fresh or frozen, they bring a tart, juicy contrast to the sweet topping. If using frozen cranberries, add a few minutes to the bake time.
- Pecans – Coarsely chopped for texture and added crunch in the cranberry base.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens both the cranberry pecan base and the topping, balancing the tartness of the cranberries.
- Large eggs – Provide structure and richness to the topping. Note that there is no leavening agent in the cake batter; the eggs alone act as a leavening.
- Vanilla and almond extracts – Add warmth, depth, and a subtle nutty flavor to the dessert.
- All-purpose flour – Gives the topping its structure and light, cake-like texture.
- Salt – Enhances the overall flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Coarse sparkling or turbinado sugar – Sprinkled on top for a crunchy, sweet finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
Make the cranberry-pecan base: Add the melted butter to a 9-inch deep-dish pan and swirl it around to grease the sides (or use a pastry brush to brush the butter on the sides). Spread the cranberries and pecans evenly in the pan.
Sprinkle with the sugar. Set aside.
Make the topping: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the the butter and sugar.
Beat on low speed until combined, then add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Beat until smooth, then add the flour and salt.
Mix until evenly combined.
Pour the batter over the cranberries and pecans in the pan, using a spatula to spread it evenly. Sprinkle the top evenly with the sparkling/turbinado sugar.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (Keep in mind that the bottom of the dessert will remain gooey, so just check the cakey top.)
Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with unsweetened or very lightly sweetened whipped cream. The pie can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover loosely with foil and store on the counter at room temperature.
You May Also Like
Nantucket Cranberry Pie
Nantucket cranberry pie is pure holiday magic—a delightful mix of pie, cobbler, and cake that’s incredibly easy to whip up.
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Pecan Base
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- ⅔ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup granulated sugar
For the Topping
- 12 tablespoons (¾ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coarse sparkling or turbinado sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Make the Cranberry-Pecan Base: Add the melted butter to a 9-inch deep-dish pan and swirl it around to grease the sides (or use a pastry brush to brush the butter on the sides). Spread the cranberries and pecans evenly in the pan and sprinkle with the sugar. Set aside.
- Make the Topping: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on low speed until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until evenly combined.
- Spread the batter over the cranberries and pecans in the pan, using a spatula to spread it evenly. Sprinkle the top evenly with the sparkling/turbinado sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (Keep in mind that the bottom of the dessert will remain gooey, so just check the cakey top.)
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with unsweetened or very lightly sweetened whipped cream (the dessert is plenty sweet as is, and unsweetened cream is a nice foil; ice cream is a bit too sweet for this dessert).
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dessert can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover loosely with foil and store on the counter at room temperature. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 361
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 134 mg
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I made this for our family Sunday dinner. It was easy to make and turned out SO delicious. All five of us raved about it, and my mother-in-law has shared the recipe with several people already. It was even better the next day! This Nantucket Pie will adorn our table again.
The only thing I accidentally did differently from the recipe was to stir the sugar with the cranberries and pecans instead of sprinkling the sugar on top. Force of habit, I guess, but it still turned out fabulous and I think I would do it that way again. That way the cranberries that end up near the top of the dough are equally sugared.
Today, I will make your pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving dessert tomorrow.
So easy to make, turned out perfect, and it’s delicious. I skipped the almond extract because I don’t like the taste. Thanks for another great recipe, Jenn.
This was good. I added cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch nutmeg to the sugar before sprinkling it over the cranberries and pecans to add a little depth of taste. Next time I make it – which I am eager to do – I will try orange zest to the batter instead of almond. It bakes well and serves well.
This is GREAT! Very unique, and unbelievably easy to make. And tasty! One question – the comment about adding orange zest sounded interesting – so if I try that, eliminate the almond extract? Thanks again for a great recipe, nice to do for winter holidays since it doesn’t take long to put together.
Glad you like it! If you’d like to add orange zest, there’s no need to omit the almond extract (unless you choose to).
Hi:) Love your recipes! I don’t care for nuts baked into desserts. Do I need to add more flour or anything if I leave the pecans out?
Hi MB, I’d just omit them with no other modifications. Please LMK how it turns out!
Turned out great Jenn! Next time I may add a few more cranberries, only because there was a bite every now and then with just the cake and no berries. But the cake part could stand alone as well!
This is currently in the oven but I am guessing this may not turn out how I expected. Followed recipe perfectly, but my batter was in no way pourable and did not look like your picture. It was very stiff, almost bordering on a dough. I did not over beat it. Maybe the 1 cup of flour is too much. I do wish there were weight measurements on this one. Every recipe I make of yours has been flawless… I’m nervous about this one!
Hi Jules, You’re right, the batter should not be overly stiff – how did it come out? And for future reference, the great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
The cake mixture tasted delicious while making but after baking and removing from oven and letting cool it was a disappointment.
Cake was so hard had to really work at getting it out of pan to have a portion.
Cranberries were good, but none of it was ‘so sweet’ as we were warned.
Glad I pretested it before the ‘Big Day’ was going to take to Thanksgiving Family gathering!
You can’t win them all…
Janie
Hi Jenn-
This recipe looks delicious for Thanksgiving and I love cranberry desserts. Unfortunately, however, I am having a very small Thanksgiving dinner (as in two people) and I wanted to make one-half recipe so that I was not tempted by a large amount of leftovers. Do you think I could half the recipe and use 2-3 large 8 oz ramekins instead of the 9 inch pan? I was also thinking of a loaf pan, but the individual ramekins would be nice if you thought those might work?
Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Hi Dan, I think it would work and I’d go with the ramekins over the loaf pan. That said, you may have extra batter and nut/cranberry mixture as I’m not sure half the recipe will fit in the 8-ounce ramekins. Also, bake time will be shorter so keep a close eye on them. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Hi Jenn! I made this yesterday & it was delicious! (I actually made 1 day in advance & warmed up prior to serving yesterday.) I made 1/2 of a full recipe and cooked in ramekins – two 8-oz ramekins and one 6-oz ramekins. I cooked for 25 min and they came out perfect! That said, the 8 oz ramekins were really too large of a serving for most people. (I believe a full recipe would fill five 8-oz ramekins, which means the whole pie would be divided into just five portions. Pretty big.)
I am definitely going to cook again during the upcoming holidays and will either cook the pie as directed, or maybe use the 6-oz ramekins for individual servings.
Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
Dan
Glad to hear it came out well in the ramekins; thanks for taking the time to report back! This may be helpful for other readers too. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Big failure for an accomplished baker. Made as written with orange zest instead of almond extract. Flat, hard crust on top, hard to get out of the pan No cake. Just a hard gob. The disposal ate the whole thing. Good thing U had some cookies in the freezer tp serve my guest. Any thought Jenn?
Sorry you had such a fail with this! This is a pretty predictable one — is there any chance you mismeasured one of the ingredients for the cake portion?
I also had a fail using 1:1 gluten free flour–but I am so confident in Jenn’s recipes that I am making again tonight because love cranberries–I sprayed my baking dish instead of buttering as instructed (to save time) and I think that might have been why mine was also a hard almost greasy base and had no rise. I also used a bit less sugar than called for, although I don’t think that was the problem. The flavors though were good. I will also as you say Jenn be really careful about measuring ingredients—I was tired when I was initially making this and may have mixed something up.
I hope you have better luck this second time around!!
Made this again tonight—an it was perfection! 10 stars–I must have messed up when I was baking this and very tired a couple of weekends ago–I was careful tonight with ingredients and measurement–used the 1:1 gluten free flour and it was wonderful! We so enjoyed it! Thank you Jennifer—
So glad to see this recipe again. Made it a couple of years ago, so good. So easy, will make again.