Fluffy cranberry cream pie

Photo: Joy the Baker

A chocolate cookie crust filled with a pink, cloud-like cranberry cream and topped with whipped cream. Joy calls it a retro party pie, and it's the one that disappears first.

From Joy Wilson at Joy the Baker

Folding homemade cranberry sauce into the set gelatin gives the fluffy filling real fruit flavor, not just pink.

You need

• Crust: 1 2/3 cups (7 oz) chocolate cookie crumbs, 1 tbsp sugar, pinch of salt, 1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, melted
• Sauce: 1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, pinch of salt, 2 strips orange peel
• Filling: 2/3 cup boiling water, 1 package (3 oz) cranberry gelatin, 1 cup cold water, 1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping, 1 heaping cup of the cooled cranberry sauce
• Topping: 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, 1 tbsp powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla
• Chocolate-dipped pretzels, to decorate (optional)

How to make it

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the upper third. Stir the crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter, press into a 9-inch pie plate and bake 12 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Simmer the cranberries, sugar, water, salt and orange peel over low heat about 10 minutes, until the berries break down and it thickens. Remove the peel and cool.
3. Whisk the boiling water into the gelatin until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cold water and chill until it starts to thicken, like egg whites.
4. Whisk in the whipped topping until smooth and fluffy, then fold in a heaping cup of the cranberry sauce.
5. Pour into the crust and chill at least 4 hours, until set.
6. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks and pile it on top. Decorate with chocolate-dipped pretzels if you like.

Written in our own words from Joy Wilson's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Fluffy cranberry cream pie, Joy the Baker.

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