Ginger Biscuits:

Preheat oven to 175° C / 350° F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, and set aside until ready to use.

Sieve together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg, then add the dry ingredients and mix on high until well-combined.

Roll dough into 1.5-inch balls. Roll in additional sugar and place on prepared baking sheets, allowing plenty of room for cookies to spread as they bake.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until crispy and golden, with cracked tops.

Transfer to a wire rack. Allow cookies to cool completely before preparing the crust.

Ginger Biscuit Crust:

Grease each tin with butter or cooking spray and line with a circle of parchment. Set aside until ready to use.

Measure out 650 grams (4 cups) of ginger biscuits. Transfer to a plastic bag and use a mallet to crush the cookies into small chunks.

Transfer chunks to a food processor and pulse to create a sandy texture. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture comes together.

Press crust mixture into prepared tins, dampening your fingertips with water as needed. Place crust in the freezer to chill, at least 15 minutes.

While crusts are chilling, preheat oven to 190° C / 375° F.

Place tins on a large tray. Line each crust with parchment, fill with baking beans or pie weights, and blind bake for 15 minutes.

Remove blind baked crusts from oven. Remove beans,then set crusts aside to cool while preparing the curd.

Cranberry Curd:

Combine cranberries and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until cranberries soften and split, about 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer (this will take a bit of elbow grease!) to remove skins.

Return strained cranberry-orange juice mixture to saucepan. Whisk in half of the sugar and heat on medium-low until steaming.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, orange zest, cooled melted butter, vanilla, and remaining sugar.

Temper steaming cranberry-orange mixture into egg mixture, adding a few tablespoons at a time and whisking thoroughly after each addition.

Return entire mixture to saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, about 10-12 minutes or until mixture has thickened.

Pour mixture into blind baked crusts. Bake at 180° C / 360° F for 12-15 minutes or until curd sets (it should be jiggly, but not runny.) Remove from oven and cool completely, at least 1-2 hours, before proceeding to meringue.

Italian Meringue:

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Over medium-high heat, cook sugar mixture to 116° C / 240° F.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add egg whites and whip on high until stiff peaks form.

With mixer running, pour hot sugar mixture into egg whites and whip until thickened and completely cool, about 5-7 minutes.

Spoon meringue generously onto cooled pies (you can also use a piping bag if you’re feeling fancy!) Torch meringue with a blowtorch, or place under oven broiler for a few minutes until meringue has browned.

Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.