Fresh Cranberries for the Holidays

Fresh Cranberries for the HolidaysYou can tell the holidays season is around the corner, not because of the conflicting Christmas and Thanksgiving decorations, but because fresh cranberries have arrived in the produce aisle.

Cranberry sauce, an indispensable item on traditional Thanksgiving menus, is delicious and quick to make from fresh berries. But the cranberry doesn’t stop at sauces. They pop up in all sorts of sweet and savory dishes. For example, you can toss them in almost apple recipe to give it a holiday flair.

Fresh cranberries will disappear in the new year. So put a couple of bags in the freezer to extend the season. They will store for up to a year, and there is no need to thaw them before use.

Here are some great cranberry recipes from our archives:

Slow-Cooker Braised Butternut Squash features both cranberries and pecans. The colors are gorgeous.

Farro with Cranberries and Pecans is the perfect side dish—and not just for Thanksgiving.

Gam’s Cranberries were here best of many wonderful contributions to the holiday table. Not quite a sauce and not exactly a chutney, these are worth a try.

Cranberry Curd Tart is an absolutely beautiful dessert that has a citrusy flavor similar to a lemon curd tart. It will impress on your holiday table.

Cranberry Orange Biscotti are delicious dunked in your hot beverage of choice. While, we often make them for our Christmas cookie tray, they are a fantastic year round.

Amy’s Apple Crisp is dessert for the soul, especially when served with ice cream. But, the left overs make for a very satisfying breakfast the following morning…what? There’s oats in there. That counts! Toss some cranberries in with the apples for color and flavor.

Baked Apples Filled with Fruit and Nuts is a great dessert when served with vanilla ice cream. Try it with cranberries and maple syrup.

Amish Style Baked Oatmeal, a traditional and comforting Amish breakfast casserole, has endless possibilities for variation. Cranberries and sake are a natural seasonal addition.

Cranberry Tea Loaf is the quintessential flavor of the holidays. It makes a nice dessert toasted with ice cream, and is fantastic with coffee in the morning.

Morning Dash Muffins is another recipe that you can play with. The original version calls for raisins but we switched them out for dried cranberries.

Our recipe for the Cranberry Smash Cocktail comes with instruction on how to make your own cranberry-infused gin. Perfect with holiday appetizers.

Comments are closed.