Description
Bright, tangy Cranberry Chess Pie with lemon and cream—an elegant twist on a Southern classic, perfect for holidays.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (9-inch) store-bought or homemade prebaked pie crust
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons fine-ground cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- Powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place prebaked pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Spread cranberries evenly over the bottom of the crust.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, lemon zest, cornmeal, and flour.
- Add eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth.
- Whisk in heavy cream, melted butter, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
- Carefully pour filling over the cranberries in the pie crust.
- Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the center is just set and slightly jiggly.
- If crust edges brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
- Cool pie completely on a wire rack before slicing.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Notes
Frozen cranberries do not need to be thawed.
Room-temperature eggs help create a smoother filling.
Let pie cool fully to allow custard to set properly.