This chocolate pie, with its flaky pastry crust and glistening, ruby-colored cranberry topping, delivers flavor in spades. With a semisweet chocolate ganache, nutty whole-grain flour in the crust, and tangy fruit, it has a little something for everyone.
To make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the shortening and mix until everything is uniform and crumbly. Work in the butter, leaving some in dime-sized chunks. Drizzle the orange juice into the bowl while tossing the mixture with a fork. Add the water a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough begins to gather around the fork. The mixture should hold together when gently squeezed.
Transfer the mixture to a piece of parchment; use the parchment to fold the dough over on itself four or five times, until the dough comes together. Pat it into a disk about 3/4" thick, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9" pie pan that’s at least 1 1/2" deep.
Roll the crust into a 13" circle. Transfer it to the prepared pie pan, prick it all over with a fork, then trim and flute the edges. Line the crust with foil or parchment and pie weights and bake for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven, remove the weights and liner, and return to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the center is light golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
To make the chocolate filling: Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat for 90 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps. Pour the chocolate into the bottom of the baked pie shell and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Refrigerate the pie for 2 hours, until the ganache is firm.
To make the cranberry topping: Place the cranberries, sugar, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan. Add 3/4 cup of the cranberry juice; reserve the rest. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to pop and the mixture thickens slightly.
While the berries are cooking, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cranberry juice; stir after 1 minute if any dry spots remain. Once hydrated, stir the gelatin/juice mixture into the hot cranberry mixture.
Remove the cranberry topping from the heat and transfer it to a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. When the filling is barely lukewarm but still fluid, pour it over the chilled chocolate filling in the pie shell.
Refrigerate the pie for at least four hours (preferably overnight) before slicing.
Store any leftovers, covered and refrigerated, for up to five days.
If you want to use just a single 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, and have dried cranberries in your pantry, try this: In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups (340g) cranberry juice to a boil. Stir in 1 cup (170g) dried cranberries, reduce the heat, and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries (340g, a generous 3 cups) and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until some of the berries have burst. Remove the berries from the heat, pour them into a bowl, and chill. You'll need 15 ounces (425g, about 1 1/2 cups topping) for the pie; enjoy the rest on its own.
If you’re not a fan of vegetable shortening, be sure to check out our recipes for All-Butter Pie Crust, Brown Butter Pie Crust, and No-Roll Pie Crust.
Let King Arthur's pastry pros show you how to bake your best pie ever: from flaky crust to perfect filling, we can help! Check out our Pie Baking Guide now.
