These easy-to-make cranberry orange Christmas tree pies are a festive treat that won’t eat up your entire afternoon. These mini hand pies, shaped like tiny Christmas trees and packed with tart-sweet filling, give you holiday charm without the holiday drama.
Every year, I promise myself I’ll keep holiday baking simple, and every year, I end up elbow-deep in flour at midnight. But these Cranberry Orange Christmas Tree Pies? They’re my secret weapon for looking like a Pinterest-perfect party host without the stress.
The thing about holiday baking is nobody needs to know you took shortcuts. These pies begin with refrigerated pie crust, and the filling is store-bought cranberry sauce jazzed up with fresh orange zest and sugar. The only “from scratch” part is cutting out tree shapes and pressing the edges with a fork.
And the cranberry-orange combo is classic for a reason. The bright, tart filling cuts through all the chocolate and caramel, making it stand out from everything else at the party table. Kids like them because they’re hand-held and shaped like trees. And you’ll like them because they bake in 15 minutes.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the simple steps to make these mini pies, and share my make-ahead tricks for busy December days. You will love these adorable tree-shaped pies that bake up perfectly every time.
Looking for more holiday treats? Try my recipes for pecan pie bars, cherry pie cookies, or Christmas tree meringues.
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Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
- Store-bought pie crust: Using pre-made pie crust is a total game-changer when you’re making two dozen of these little treats. Look for the kind that comes rolled up in a box (you’ll need three boxes total, with two crusts in each). Let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling.
- Cranberry sauce: The jellied kind is smoother and easier to spread.
- Brown sugar
- Oranges: For zesting.
- Eggs
- Vanilla almond bark: I find this works much better for melting and drizzling than white chocolate chips.
- Christmas sprinkles
How to Make Cranberry Orange Christmas Tree Pies
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your large baking sheets with parchment paper. Zest both oranges using a microplane or a box grater with small holes, making sure only to remove the orange part and not the bitter white pith underneath.
- Roll out one pie crust on a work surface. Using a Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out as many trees as you can from the dough. I usually get about eight trees per crust, but it depends on the size of your cutter. Set these trees aside and repeat this process with all six pie crusts. Remember, you need two trees for each pie (one for the bottom and one for the top), so you should end up with 48 trees total to make 24 pies.
- Place as many trees as you can fit on your prepared baking sheets, making sure you have a matching tree set aside for each one. In a medium bowl, stir together the cranberry sauce and brown sugar until well combined. Spoon about two tablespoons of this cranberry mixture onto the center of each tree on the baking sheet, leaving the edges clear so you can seal them later.
- Sprinkle the orange zest generously over each blob of cranberry filling. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl until the yolks and whites are thoroughly combined.
- Using a pastry brush or your finger, spread some of the whisked egg around the edges of each filled tree. Take one of your bare trees (no cranberry, no egg) and place it on top of a filled tree. Press down gently around all the edges with a fork to seal the two layers together. Once sealed, carefully cut three small slits into the top of each pie—one near the top of the tree, one in the middle, and one toward the bottom. These vents allow steam to escape, preventing your pies from bursting open.
- Brush the remaining egg wash all over the top of each sealed tree. Slide the baking sheet into your preheated oven and bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until the pies are golden brown all over. The edges should be a deeper golden color, and the tops should look glossy and set. Once they’re done, pull them out and let them cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Once your pies are completely cool, melt the vanilla almond bark in a microwave-safe bowl. I do this in 30-second bursts, stirring between each one, until it’s smooth and pourable.
- Transfer the melted almond bark to a zip-top bag and snip off one corner. Drizzle the chocolate over each tree in whatever pattern makes you happy. I like to zigzag it back and forth to look like a garland, but you do you. Immediately after drizzling each pie, sprinkle your Christmas sprinkles over the chocolate while it’s still wet. Let the chocolate set completely.
Serving Ideas
These little pies are edible decorations, which means they work for every holiday gathering you can think of. I love setting them out on a platter during Christmas parties. They’re small enough that guests can grab one without feeling like they’re committing to a whole dessert, but fancy enough to feel special.
Pair them with coffee or hot cocoa for a cozy afternoon treat. The tartness of the cranberry and brightness of the orange zest pair beautifully with rich, hot drinks. If you’re serving them at a holiday brunch, they work alongside scrambled eggs and fresh fruit just as well as they do at an evening dessert spread.
How to Store
These pies keep well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. I use a shallow glass container with a tight-fitting lid so they stay fresh without getting squished. The filling stays moist, the crust holds up surprisingly well.
Tips & Tricks
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- Not all Christmas tree cookie cutters are created equal. You want one that’s about 3 inches tall. Anything smaller and you won’t have enough room for the filling without it oozing out everywhere.
- Always make sure you have two trees for each pie, a top and a bottom. It’s easy to lose track.
- Don’t overfill. Two tablespoons of cranberry filling sounds skimpy, but it’s actually perfect. Any more and you’ll have a cranberry explosion in your oven, and that’s not the kind of holiday surprise anyone wants.
- When you’re brushing that egg wash around the edges, make sure you get complete coverage. Those edges need to seal tightly, or your filling will leak out during baking.
- You can place the pies in the fridge after drizzling the chocolate to speed up the process. This is especially helpful when you’re making these for a party and running behind schedule (which is basically every time I make them).
Reader Questions
Absolutely! If you’re feeling ambitious and want to make your own pie crust, go for it. You’ll need enough dough to make six standard pie crusts total. Just remember that homemade dough can be a bit more temperamental due to the cutting and re-rolling process, so make sure it stays cold.
Any shape works—stars, circles, hearts, whatever you’ve got. I’ve made these with a simple round cutter for non-holiday occasions, and they’re just as delicious. The Christmas tree is festive, but the cranberry-orange combo is good enough to eat year-round.
Almond bark is made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter. It melts smoothly, sets up quickly, and doesn’t require tempering like real chocolate does. It’s basically the lazy baker’s best friend (and I mean that as a compliment). You can substitute white chocolate chips if you can’t find almond bark, but they can be trickier to melt smoothly.
Make sure your pies are completely cooled before storing them, and use parchment paper between layers if you’re stacking them. The three slits in the top crust help release steam during baking, which also prevents the crust from becoming soggy.
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Cranberry Orange Christmas Tree Pies
Ingredients
- 3 boxes store-bought pie crust 2 crusts per box
- 1 can jellied cranberry sauce 14 ounces
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 oranges zested
- 2 eggs
- 24- ounce brick vanilla almond bark
- ⅓ cup Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place parchment paper on a tray or cutting board. Zest the oranges.
- Roll out one of the pie crusts on your parchment-lined tray and use a Christmas tree cookie cutter to cut out as many trees as you can from the dough. Carefully set the trees aside. Repeat this process with the remaining pie crust.3 boxes store-bought pie crust
- Place half of the trees on your baking sheet. Make sure each tree has one extra tree off to the side. Add the cranberry sauce and brown sugar to a medium bowl and stir until well combined. Add about two tablespoons of the cranberry mixture to the middle of the trees.1 can jellied cranberry sauce, ¼ cup brown sugar
- Sprinkle the zest of the orange all over each bit of cranberry sauce. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and spread some of the egg mixture on the edges of the tree. Place a bare (no cranberry, no egg) tree on top and, using a fork, press down on the edges until sealed. Carefully make three slits, one at the top of the tree, one in the middle, and one more towards the bottom.2 oranges, 2 eggs
- Brush egg all over the top of the tree and then bake in the oven for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown all over. Once done, let them completely cool.
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and then add it to a zip-lock bag. Snip the end of the bag off and drizzle the chocolate over the tree. Then, immediately add sprinkles to the chocolate.24- ounce brick vanilla almond bark, ⅓ cup Christmas sprinkles
- Let the chocolate harden before serving.
Notes
- Not all Christmas tree cookie cutters are created equal. You want one that’s about 3 inches tall. Anything smaller and you won’t have enough room for the filling without it oozing out everywhere.
- Always make sure you have two trees for each pie—a top and a bottom. It’s easy to lose track.
- Don’t overfill. Two tablespoons of cranberry filling sounds skimpy, but it’s actually perfect. Any more and you’ll have a cranberry explosion in your oven, and that’s not the kind of holiday surprise anyone wants.
- When you’re brushing that egg wash around the edges, make sure you get complete coverage. Those edges need to seal tightly, or your filling will leak out during baking.
- You can place the pies in the fridge after drizzling the chocolate to speed up the process.
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
