Cranberry Mousse Pie with Biscoff Cookie Crust with Angie the Pie Lady

Serves 8-10 

While we do have a little help here from raspberry gelatin, cranberries deserve to have their own spot on the dessert table, so I’m leaving mention of the raspberry out!  Also, this is more of a “faux” mousse—not nearly as labor intensive.  Which means, it’s the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving when you’re up to your eyeballs in casseroles and gravy—this will be a cinch! 

(Tip: Prepare the crust 2-3 days in advance and just keep covered until go time.) 

Crust: 

• 6 oz. Biscoff cookies (about 22, or 2/3 of a package) – can substitute gingersnaps if need be 
• 2 oz. toasted unsalted pecans (1/2 c.) – can sub in other nuts as desired, or if leaving out, use the entire package of cookies (8.8 oz.) 
• 6 TBSP unsalted butter, melted 
• 1/3 c. (packed) light brown sugar 
• ½ tsp. ground ginger 
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon 
• Large pinch salt (preferably kosher) 

Filling: 

• 1 – 14 oz. can jellied cranberry sauce 
• 1 c. cranberry juice cocktail 
• 3 oz. box raspberry gelatin (or if you’re lucky enough to find cranberry, do it!) 
• 1 ½  c. heavy whipping cream, very cold (may substitute 8 oz. - 3 cups - Cool Whip)

Optional topping(s): 

• 1 c. heavy cream, very cold (may substitute additional Cool Whip) 
• 2 tsp. sugar 
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract 
• Sugared cranberries (recipe follows) 
• Mint or rosemary leaves 

Crust Directions: 

1. Set an oven rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F. 
2. Place Biscoff cookies and pecans in a food processor and process until fine crumbs form. 
3. Melt butter in a medium pot.  Once melted, add brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine. 
4. Pour the crumbs into a 9”-pie plate and first work to form the edges around the plate, about ¼” thick.  Once those are formed (the sides should reach or come very close to the top edge of the sides), pack the remaining crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the dish.  An easy way to do this is by using the bottom of a flat measuring cup. 
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until it’s fragrant.  Let cool completely before filling.

Filling Directions: 

1. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, bring cranberry juice to a boil.  Remove from heat and dissolve gelatin into hot juice, whisking thoroughly.  
2. In a separate bowl, using a stand or hand mixer, beat cranberry sauce for a minute on high to level out the consistency.  Add the hot juice/gelatin mixture to the cranberry sauce and stir to thoroughly combine.  Place mixture in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours to chill and thicken.  It must be thickened and cold before proceeding to the next step.   
3. In a cold bowl, whip the heavy cream until very stiff peaks have formed.  Once completed, add about a third to the cranberry mixture and stir thoroughly to loosen up the berry sauce.  Then, add the rest of the thickened cream, and gently fold in until thoroughly combined. (Treat the cool whip the same as the heavy cream if using.) 
4. If you are intending to use the whipped cream on the topping as well, combine both amounts, in addition to the sugar and vanilla, and whip them all together.  Just be sure you have 3 cups of whip cream for the filling, then set aside the rest for the topping, in the refrigerator, until ready to finish. 
5. Spoon berry filling into the prepared pie crust and cover/chill until firmly set, preferably overnight.  

Topping: 

You can cover the whole pie with whip cream, or just the middle, or pipe rosettes around the edge—up to you!  Garnish with sugared cranberries and sprigs of mint or rosemary leaves as desired.  Enjoy! 

Sugared cranberries: 

• ½ c. water 
• 1 ½ c. granulated sugar, divided 
• 3 c. fresh (NOT frozen) cranberries, rinsed well and dried 

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and ½ c. sugar.  Bring to a boil and let simmer until all sugar has been dissolved. 
2. Stir in the cranberries to fully coat in the syrup then remove from the heat but keep stirring for about a minute to lightly soften them. 
3. Remove the berries with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment or metal rack lined baking sheet.  Let dry for about an hour until just slightly tacky to the touch. 
4. In a large bowl or pie dish, roll cranberries in batches in the remaining cup of sugar, to coat. Be sure to let them dry uncovered for at least an hour or until they feel dry to the touch. 
5. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.  If they start to look wet, just reroll in a bit more sugar. (These will NOT freeze well.)