T-minus two days until Thanksgiving, so am posting some last-minute recipes that will be perfect on your holiday table. Cranberry sauce is a must for this holiday. Growing up, we always had the stuff that came out of the can and retained its shape and had the grooves of the can engraved into it. Those were our guides, as kids, where to slice. Personally, I was never a fan of the stuff! Kind of grossed me out, the consistency, too sweet, texture off. My mom on the other hand, loved the stuff and would always have to have it. Until my cranberry sauce!
She now asks if I am making my spicy cranberry sauce and the answer is yes! I don’t know why anyone would buy the canned cranberry after having this version. I know, nostalgia, ok if you must have it there to take you back to yesteryear, go for it. But eat this version! It’s fresh, zesty, sweet and spicy! Kind of like me!
It is almost as easy to prepare as the canned version. Plus, it can be done in advance, which I am a huge fan of! Most homemade cranberry sauces use granulated sugar. Well, I use maple syrup. I discovered this idea from the Pioneer Woman’s version. So, for all of you that are following the paleo diet, you are good to go with this one! If you are vegan, eat up! It’s perfect for everyone!
Just dump your rinsed fresh cranberries in a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan. Turn the heat on medium/high. Here’s where I take this sauce to the next level. Spices! Warm spices and kickin spices! I add cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and the piece de resistance…. cayenne. You can’t leave this one out, it’s the kickin in the kickin cranberry sauce! Toss to coat the berries with spices and cook about a minute. Next add your orange juice and zest, then your maple syrup and apple juice and throw in the cinnamon stick. Bring this to a boil, then reduce temp to medium low and continue to cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, more towards the end. This takes about 20 to 30 minutes. I go closer to the 30 minutes because I like a thicker jammy consistency. Here is what mine looked like when it was done.
See how pretty, bonus, it tastes as good as it looks!! Trust me, this will be a new holiday staple in your home!
Then just transfer into heat proof container and let cool to room temp, store covered in the fridge for up to two weeks. Enjoy!
- 1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup apple juice
- 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tbsp. orange zest
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. cardamom
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- ¼ or ⅛ tsp. of cayenne (depending on your spice tolerance)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp. honey
- Rinse the bag of cranberries and pour into a heavy bottom medium sauce pan. Turn heat on Medium/high. Add your spices and toss to coat the cranberries, cook for a minute. Next add your juices, zest and maple syrup. Stir to combine. Throw your cinnamon stick in. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and continue to cook until juices have thickened. This takes about 35 to 50 minutes (the longer you let it cook, the thicker it will become). Once you have your desired consistency, pour into heat proof container. Let cool to room temp then store in the fridge covered for up to two weeks.
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