Butternut Squash and Cranberry Gingerbread Pie

Perfect for Thanksgiving, or even Christmas, this Butternut Squash and Cranberry Gingerbread Pie has just about everything you could ask for. Sweet, tart, and brimming with the flavors of warming spices, this pie is beautifully layered–gingerbread crust, white chocolate ganache, cranberry jam, roasted butternut squash pastry cream, whipped topping–and is sure to become a new holiday favorite.

Before I even had the chance to start putting the components of this pie together, I was already calling this my Flash of Brilliance Pie. The holidays are going to look a bit different this year. Traditions are being put on pause to put the health of friends and family first, but that doesn’t mean that your holiday table needs to be lacking. In fact, this may be just the time to ditch some of your holiday favorites–especially if you know that you can’t pull a dish off the way someone else can–and try something new. This Butternut Squash and Cranberry Gingerbread Pie is a great place to start.

Yes, I know. This pie is a little bit…involved. But the pie dough, jam, and pastry cream can all be made 1-2 days ahead of time and left to chill in the refrigerator, ready for quick assembly. Maybe it’s just me and the fact that I find baking especially therapeutic, but this pie was surprisingly not stressful to put together. There’s something in the comfort of knowing that you can have things made and ready to go before you actually need to put it all together.

Now, if you don’t want to make everything ahead of time and are trying to do everything in the same night (or morning), I suggest the following choreographed order:

1. Start the pie dough. Leave it in the fridge to rest.
2. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 400°F and get started on roasting the squash. Once the squash is cooked, transfer it to a dish and place it in the fridge to cool. Up the oven to 425°F and prepare to roll out the pie crust.
3. Bake the crust. While the crust is in the oven, start on the jam. The jam only needs to be stirred occasionally and does most of its bubbling over on its own. Take the fully-baked crust out and leave to cool on a wire rack. Transfer the jam to a dish and leave in the fridge to chill and set.
4. Puree the cooled squash. Weight it out and start on the pastry cream. Make sure the egg yolks are already in a bowl before you start heating and stirring the milk, flour, sugar, and salt. Once the squash pastry cream has been sieved to ensure smoothness, transfer it to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge.
5. If you haven’t had a chance to clean as you go, take the time now, while everything is chilling and setting, to do so.
6. Once everything is completely cooled, start on the white chocolate ganache and continue with assembly–crust, ganache, jam, pastry cream.

It seems like a lot of effort, but this is the type of pie you’re probably only going to make once–maybe twice–a year, earmarked for special occasions. This little Flash of Brilliance Pie ended up being just that. Sweet, tart, full of spices. It’s the perfect holiday pie.

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Butternut Squash and Cranberry Gingerbread Pie

Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas, this Butternut Squash and Cranberry Gingerbread Pie is sweet, spicy, and tart all in one. Impressively layered, the gingerbread pie crust base is topped with a sweet white chocolate ganache, a tart cranberry jam, and a cinnamon and brown sugar roasted butternut squash pastry cream. Make the components ahead and assemble later to save some time on the big day. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Yields 10-12 slices (1 x 9" pie)

Cook Time

85-90 minutes

Passive Time

4-24 hours

Servings

slices

Ingredients

Gingerbread Pie Crust

• 300 grams all purpose flour
• 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 orange zest only
• 170 grams unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 50 grams molasses
• 1 Tbsp vodka
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• ice water as needed (1-2 Tbsp at a time)
• egg white wash (1 egg white whisked with 1 Tbsp water)

Cranberry Jam

• 350 grams fresh cranberries
• 350 grams granulated sugar
• 1/2 orange juice only
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 50 mL water

Butternut Squash Pastry Cream

• 1 butternut squash (medium, at least 700 grams when deseeded)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 60 grams light brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 165 grams granulated sugar
• 45 grams all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 335 mL whole milk
• 6 egg yolks (room temperature, from large eggs)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 450 grams roasted butternut squash puree

White Chocolate Ganache

• 100 grams white chocolate chopped into small pieces
• 50 mL heavy cream

Cook Time 85-90 minutes Passive Time 4-24 hours Servings slices Ingredients Gingerbread Pie Crust 300 grams all purpose flour 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 orange zest only 170 grams unsalted butter cold and cubed 50 grams molasses 1 Tbsp vodka 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar ice water as needed (1-2 Tbsp at a time) egg white wash (1 egg white whisked with 1 Tbsp water) Cranberry Jam 350 grams fresh cranberries 350 grams granulated sugar 1/2 orange juice only 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 50 mL water Butternut Squash Pastry Cream 1 butternut squash (medium, at least 700 grams when deseeded) 2 Tbsp olive oil 60 grams light brown sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 165 grams granulated sugar 45 grams all purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt 335 mL whole milk 6 egg yolks (room temperature, from large eggs) 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 450 grams roasted butternut squash puree White Chocolate Ganache 100 grams white chocolate chopped into small pieces 50 mL heavy cream

Instructions

Gingerbread Pie Crust

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, spices, and orange zest. Using your fingers, rub in the butter until you're left with mostly pea-sized chunks covered in flour and a few larger chunks as well. Using the tip of a knife, mix in the molasses, the vodka, and the apple cider vinegar. Add the ice water 1-2 Tbsp at a time and stir with the tip of the knife until large chunks begin to form and the dough begins to come together until you can press it into a ball using your hands.
2. Lightly flour your work surface and flatten the ball of dough into a disc. Lightly flour the top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until you have a rectangle or a long oval about 12" x 4" in size. Fold the top 1/3 of the dough to the center. Fold up the bottom 1/3 of dough to overlap with the top half. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll out again until you about 12" x 4" in size. Repeat the folding process. Roll and fold 1 more time before wrapping the dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 45 minutes to 24 hours. The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days if you want to make it ahead of time, just leave it out for 15-20 minutes before rolling. If it begins to crack too much, give it a bit more time to warm up.
3. To blind bake the crust, preheat the oven to 425°F and place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack. Lightly grease a 9" pie dish about 1.5"-2" deep.
4. Lightly flour your work surface and roll our your pie dough until it is about 1/4" thick and at least 1 inch larger than your pie dish all the way around. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and lift into the prepared pie dish. Gently press the dough into the bottom edges being careful not to stretch it. Trim any excess around the top and crimp or decorate as desired. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork and chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until cold and solid.
5. Line the chilled pie dough with a piece of parchment paper and fill with ceramic pie weights, dry beans, or dry rice to keep the pastry from falling down the sides of the dish and from puffing at the center. Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and take out the parchment paper and weights. Brush with an egg white wash (1 egg white whisked with 1 Tbsp of water). Continue to bake 5-10 minutes on the middle rack until the edges of your pie are golden brown and the base of the crust is fully baked through. Remove the pie crust from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack

Cranberry Jam

1. Rinse your cranberries. In a large saucepan, stir together the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, vanilla, and water. Warm over a medium-high heat until the sugar melts and the mixture begins to boil. Lower to a medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries break down and the jam thickens. This should take about 25-30 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, allow the jam to cook until it reaches about 220°F. If you don't have a thermometer, dip a rubber spatula into the jam and use a spoon to draw a line in the juices that stick to the spatula. The jam should hold and not fill in the empty space. Transfer the jam to a glass dish or a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator until set and cool or overnight if making ahead of time.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pastry Cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel and chop the butternut squash into chunks about 1 inch in size. In a large bowl, stir together the squash, olive oil, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon until the squash is evenly coated. Spread across the prepared baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Give the squash a stir and allow to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the squash is soft and tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a dish and chilling in the refrigerator.
2. Once the squash is cooled down. Use a blender or a food processor to puree the squash until smooth. Weigh out 450 grams and the squash puree and set aside.
3. In a medium or large saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, flour, salt, and milk. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes, and begins to boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the milk/flour/sugar mixture to the bowl with the eggs and stir to temper and warm the yolks through so that the egg doesn't scramble. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the milk, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon or spatula well (about 8 minutes) and just a few small bubbles form. Do NOT boil.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and the roasted butternut squash puree until smooth and fully combined. Using a rubber spatula, press the cream through a sieve to catch any unwanted chunks of squash or bits of egg. Transfer the cream to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap down on the surface of the cream to keep it from forming a skin as it chills. Allow to cool completely for about 4 hours or overnight.

White Chocolate Ganache

1. Chop 100 grams of white chocolate into small pieces and place in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, warm 50 mL of heavy cream on low until it just begins to simmer. Pour the heated cream over the white chocolate and give the bowl a shake to make sure all of the chocolate is covered. Leave to sit and warm through for 1-2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, start to stir from the center of the bowl until everything begins to mix together. You should be left with a smooth, shiny ganache.

Assembly

1. Using the back of the spoon or a small spatula, spread the ganache over the bottom and just a little up the sides of the cooked and cooled pie crust. Place in the freezer to allow the ganache to set.
2. Once the ganache is set, spread the prepared cranberry jam over the layer of white chocolate. Depending on the depth of your pie dish, you might only need to use about 3/4 of the jam.*
3. Spread the cooled pastry cream over the jam until it just about reaches the top of the pie. Again, depending on the depth of your pie dish, you may only need to use 3/4 of the prepared pastry cream.* If not serving right away, press a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the pastry cream and chill. Cut into slices and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*If your pie dish is only 1.5" deep like mine, you may have extra jam and pastry cream. Crumble up some Biscoff or gingerbread cookies and layer with the jam, cream, and whipped cream in a small glass to create a little parfait. You get extra dessert or a little taste tester :).

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