I make this pie every year for Friendsgiving, and it’s always a hit.
Essential oils add a note of citrus that pairs beautifully with tart cranberries. This dessert is gluten-free and sugar-free, but you’d never know! Bonus: You can use your leftover cranberries to create a rustic garland for the tree.
Table of Contents:
A Match Made in Heaven
Orange and cranberry are a classic combination that creates a fantastic sensory experience. These two components both taste and smell good! In my opinion, cranberries aren’t the same without a hint of citrus.
On a deeper level, cranberries and oranges are both fantastic for your health. When you use orange essential oil, you’re giving your body a concentrated dose of all that oranges offer.
A simple cranberry packs a considerable punch! While commonly associated with holiday dinners, you can enjoy their benefits all year. Cranberry juice has been a tasty UTI remedy for decades due to its condensed tannins. (1)
These same tannins can also lower your risk for cardiovascular disease. (2) The most impressive health benefit that cranberries tout is that they can kill and slow the growth of existing cancer cells. (3) That’s a lot of advantages in one little berry!
Orange is a bright-smelling essential oil that instantly lifts your spirits. It’s one of the lowest-priced essential oils out there, and it’s incredibly versatile. Orange is known to relax your mind, promoting feelings of positivity. (4) I love diffusing this essential oil, using it in my DIY cleaners, and including it in my favorite recipes!
Healthy Dessert Ingredients 101
This dessert uses simple ingredients to create a flavorful dessert for your holiday gatherings. Here’s what you need.
Cooking Spray: When choosing a cooking spray, avoiding unhealthy fats like canola and vegetable oil is best. We recommend using Unrefined (no propellant)coconut oil or olive oil cooking spray. Both give excellent results with no health risks.
Eggs: In this recipe, you can use eggs or an egg replacer and water. If you choose to use eggs, try to find cage-free and organic ones. You might be able to source farm-fresh eggs if you live in a rural area.
Gluten-Free Flour: White flour isn’t kind to your health or waistline, so we choose to use a high-quality gluten-free blend. Gluten-free flour creates a cake-like texture that isn’t gritty as with some flour. You’ll never notice the difference between this gluten-free cranberry pie and one with white flour.
Sea Salt: While salt should never be overdone, it is vital to a properly functioning body. Table salt is stripped of all nutrients due to the harvesting process, so we recommend switching to sea salt. We recommend using Colima sea salt that’s minimally processed. It tastes amazing!
Cranberries: As you read above, cranberries are excellent for your body. Frozen cranberries are a fantastic addition to smoothies! I like stocking up on fresh cranberries when they’re in season and freezing them to use later in the year.
Walnuts: Chopped walnuts add a delicious bit of crunch to this treat. They have more antioxidants than other nuts and a mild flavor that pairs well with cranberries. Healthy fats are good for your body because they help fight off inflammation. (5)
Butter: In moderation, butter is a beautiful addition to any diet. It adds a lot of decadence to this recipe. The holidays are the perfect time to indulge in a heavier dessert, and I often save these desserts for special occasions. When choosing butter, look for grass-fed varieties.
Liquid Stevia: Liquid stevia is one of my favorite sweeteners. It blends evenly into any drink or batter and has no aftertaste. It’s gentle on your blood sugar, and if you use high-quality stevia, you don’t have to use it a lot to get the result you want. Liquid stevias are less likely to contain fillers, as well. Win-win!
Orange Essential Oil: We call this EO our liquid antidepressant. There is nothing better than oranges and cranberries.
Safety Note: Using essential oils in recipes is a great way to incorporate their benefits into your life. This recipe contains plenty of ingredients that act as a dispersant to ensure your mouth doesn’t get irritated. It’s perfectly safe to ingest essential oils when you do it correctly, as with this recipe. You never want to ingest an essential oil neat.
How to Make Crustless Cranberry Pie
This recipe is one of my favorite holiday hacks. It looks like you spent hours in the kitchen when you spent less than an hour in all reality. Easy desserts leave more time for other holiday traditions, like visiting with loved ones!
- Coconut-oil or olive-oil cooking spray
- 2 large pasture-raised organic eggs, or 1 tablespoon egg replacer plus 2 tablespoons purified or distilled water
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- 2 cups fresh or frozen organic cranberries
- ½ cup chopped raw walnuts
- ½ cup (1 stick) grass-fed butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon organic pure almond extract
- 4 dropperfuls liquid stevia
- 1 or 2 drops orange essential oil
- Supplies:
- Mixing bowls
- 9-inch pie pan
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Alternatively, mix the egg replacer with the water in a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts and toss to coat.
- Stir in the melted butter, beaten eggs, almond extract, liquid stevia, and orange essential oil. (If you use frozen cranberries, the mixture will be thick.) Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Serve warm with Coconut Whipped Cream or Mama Z's Vanilla Ice Cream.
Step One: Prepare the Pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. I recommend avoiding unhealthy oils and sticking with coconut or olive oil cooking spray.
Step Two: Beat the Eggs
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Alternatively, mix the egg replacer with the water in a medium bowl.
Step Three: Mix Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and sea salt. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts and toss to coat.
Step Four: Add Essential Oils
Stir in the melted butter, beaten eggs, almond extract, liquid stevia, and orange essential oil. Note: If you choose frozen cranberries, your mixture will be extremely thick!
Step Five: Bake and Serve
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This dessert tastes fantastic when served warm with Mama Z’s Vanilla Ice Cream or Coconut Whipped Cream. Enjoy!
