AKM designs and delights: Ginger Spiced Cranberry and Pear Pies...in JARS!

Say hello to your new favorite Fall recipe!

There truly are no words for how delish these little bites of heaven are...

And that crumb topping...OH MY GAWD!

I may have eaten spoonfuls of that alone...

And on my oatmeal the next morning...

I said MAY have.

I'm admitting to nothing.

Just look at that would you?

That's heaven in a jar right there people!

Ginger Spiced Cranberry and Pear Pie Jars

by Angi McCarthy

Ingredients (8 jars)

Pie Ingredients

¾ cup water
1 -1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 (16 ounce) bag fresh or thawed cranberries
4 medium-sized Bosc Pears – peeled, cored and cut into ½- inch cubes (I didn't peel mine)
½ teaspoon fresh minced ginger
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Crust Ingredients

2 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½ inch cubes
¾ cup ice water

Crumb topping Ingredients

½ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup rolled oats

Instructions

Pie Instructions

*Make crust according to instructions below first*

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Spray insides of jars you will be using with Nonstick cooking spray.

To make the pie filling, stir the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir constantly until the sugar dissolves.

Add the cranberries to the sugar mixture and lower the heat. Simmer cranberries for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries start to pop. Drain cranberries and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the pears, ginger and cornstarch. Add the cranberries and stir to combine.

From the dough, cut 8 (2 ¾-inch diameter) circles and 8 (4 by 8-inch) strips. Press on circle firmly in the bottom of the jar, and then line the sides of each jar with on strip of the dough pressing it into place. Make sure to leave ½-inch overhang over the rim of the jar. Once all jars have been lined, finish off the edge using whatever method you like.

Spoon the filling evenly into the jars.

Sprinkle with a generous amount of crumb topping.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Crumb topping instructions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and cinnamon, mix will.

Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly with a pastry blender (a fork or your hands will work too) until it resemble small peas.

Add rolled oats and mix to create a crumbly consistency.

Crust Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar – mix well.

Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix gently with a pastry blender (a fork or your hands will work too). The goal is to lightly incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients. The butter pieces should be well coated with the dry mixture and somewhat flattened.

Gradually add the water to the flour mixture, 1 Tablespoon at a time and continue mixing the dough until it comes together to form pea-sixed or crouton sized crumbs. The dough should look like course individual pieces, not smooth and beaten together like cookie dough.

With your hands, gather the dough crumbs together to form 2 patties, gently molding the crumb-like mixture into a patty shape and being careful not to over handle the dough. Wrap each patty in plastic wrap.

Chill the dough for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days. The dough can also be frozen for up to 2 weeks.

When ready to use, let it sit at room temperature for at least 10-minutes. On a lightly floured surfaced, roll out each of the 2 dough patties to about a ¼-inch thickness, lightly dusting with flour to prevent sticking and to make sure to roll the dough evenly.