Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Bake one pie crust. Roll out the second pie crust and cut out a dozen small (1-1/2- to 2-inch) stars. Chill 30 minutes or longer if possible. Place them on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Reserve. (This can be done while you are prebaking the pie crust.)

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, apples, and cranberries and gently stir to mix well and let the sugar dissolve. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and the fruit is tender but the apples still have some body.

Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and reserve. Bring the juices to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until they reduce and become thick and jammy, about 8 minutes. Stir the fruit into the thickened juice. Taste to be sure it is sweet enough, adding more sugar if necessary. If it is runny, boil down until the juices are reduced and thickened. The filling may be made ahead to this point several days or frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to use, reheat. Spoon the filling into the prebaked shell. Decorate the top with the stars. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.