Cranberry Cake Pie

I have mixed emotions when it comes to crust...

Absolutely looooove pizza crust.  Indifferent when it comes to bread crust- don't mind it on sandwiches, but I tend to nibble my way around the less appealing perimeter of toast, saving the best for last- the jam filled center.  And pie crust?  Well, not a very big fan.  It's just kind of...bland.  And dry.  And I'd really rather just eat the filling.  (We have a slight exception here that I feel must be noted: over Thanksgiving, my sister made a wonderful spiced crust with her pecan pie and it was phenomenal.  Best I've ever had, hands down.)

Well these mini pies have a different take on the whole traditional pie crust thing.  It's a pour-over crust that bakes up almost cake-like.  All buttery and sugary with a tender crumb embedded with tart, juicy cranberries- this is a crust I can definitely get on board with.

Cranberry Cake Pie

Makes one 10-inch pie (or 6 mini pies)

2 cups raw cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups white sugar, divided
2 eggs
3/4 cup  butter, melted
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup all-purpose white flour

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 10-inch pie plate.  Wash the cranberries, leaving some water on them.  Place the cranberries in the pie plate and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the sugar.  

In a mixing bowl, cream the remaining 1 cup sugar with the eggs and butter.  Stir in the almond extract.  Add the flour and mix well. The batter will be thin. Pour over the cranberries.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes (25 to 28 for mini pies) or until a tester inserted near the center of the crust comes out clean.  

Adapted from Beantown Baker.