Cranberry Caramel Pies with Oatmeal Cookie Crust

• Cookie Crust- Step 1:
• 6 Tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp oats
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Cookie Crust- Step 2:
• baked and cooled cookie from step 1, pulsed in food processor or finely crumbled by hand
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• Filling:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp powdered milk
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup + 1Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 tsp very finely grated orange zest (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (frozen will work as a substitute)

Cookie Crust- Step 1
Cream butter and sugars together. Add egg and vanilla, scraping sides of bowl. Add dry ingredients and combine until fully incorporated. Press into a 9×13 cake pan or baker’s ¼ sheet prepared with parchment paper or butter and bake at 350°F for 15-17 minutes until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. It’s sometimes helpful to make this the day before you plan to bake the pie.
Cookie Crust- Step 2
Use a fork or back of a spoon to blend butter and sugar into the cookie crumble mixture until mixture is slightly sticky and able to hold its shape when pressed with fingertips. Using a Nordic Ware French Tartlette pan or other individual portion size baking pan (muffin pans work too!), press 1-2 Tbsp of crust mixture into a thin layer inside each well. Make sure you press firmly and create a thin layer of cookie crust that extends up the wall of each tart mold, creating a true crust exterior for your mini pies. Ideal thickness of crust is ¼ inch or less. This recipe may also be baked in a 9” pie pan instead of individual molds. Set pans aside.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients except cranberries together and whisk until well blended. Mixture should be a glossy caramel-like consistency with no streaks. Using the Tartlette pan prepared with cookie crust, place 4-5 cranberries in each cavity and top with caramel mixture, filling to 1/8 inch below the uppermost edge of the cookie crust. Cranberries may float to the top but this is OK. If baking in a 9” or 10” pie pan, add 1 1/2 cups cranberries to pie plate and pour caramel mixture over the top.
Bake mini tartlettes for 10 minutes at 350°F, then lower oven temperature to 325°F for an additional 10-12 minutes or until crust edges are lightly browned and caramel mixture is bubbling throughout. A full-sized 9-10” pie will bake for 30 minutes at 350°F plus an additional 15-20 minutes at 325°F.
Cool pies completely prior to eating. May be kept in the refrigerator for several days after baking. Yields approximately 24 mini tartlettes or 1 9-10 inch pie.