Homemade Ruby Red Cranberry Sauce
Plus bonus left-overs recipe!
Cranberry Sauce is one of those things that people either love or hate with their holiday meal. I love it! I love the hint of bright sweetness it brings to the, otherwise savory, meal. Plus, it adds such a gorgeous deep reddish-pink to the delicious but brown affair you have on your plate.
Cranberry sauce is crazy simple to make. It taste so much better, in my opinion, when it is homemade. It is sure to impress your guests that you have homemade, rather than that giggly thing that comes out of the can.
You can serve it warm or cold. I prefer it fresh and warm, but cold from the fridge is great too!
How I Use Left-over Cranberry Sauce
Even though cranberry sauce is necessary for a perfect holiday meal, you are bound to have leftovers. At least, I always do. I love using it in muffins. I have a great recipe for cranberry muffins that I love to make for a quick festive snack. (Recipe at the bottom of the post!)
You can use cranberry sauce to spread onto pieces of bread for a leftovers sandwich. Making cranberry sauce is pretty much the same as making a quick jam. It adds a bright little zip to your sandwich!
Another option I have also done. If you are making the cranberry sauce for thanksgiving, freeze it and you have it for Christmas, ready to go!
Cranberry baked Brie. Honestly this is amazing. This is typically what we do for New Year’s, with the remainder of our Christmas cranberry sauce! For one wheel of brie, baked in the oven, I usually pour over about 3/4 to 1 cup of left-over sauce. Warm the sauce before you pour it over the warm baked Brie. If you have not had this before, it is a must try!
Liquids for making Cranberry Sauce
Apple cider– This is what I love using most often for cranberry sauce. I love the added flavour and spices it brings to the cranberries.
Orange Juice– Another great choice is orange juice, the intense flavour of the oranges really shines through and gives it a really distinct flavour.
Pomegranate juice– Amazing flavour and just adds to the gorgeous ruby red colour!
Cranberry juice– Obviously!
Water– Cranberries are super flavourful. Sauce made from just simple sweetened cranberries is amazing!
If you want to replace the apple cider in this recipe you can use any of these options interchangeably.
Ingredients
1 340 g bag Fresh Cranberries
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup apple cider
Method
- Pour cranberries into a sauce pan on med-high heat.
- Add sugar and apple cider. Stir.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cover slightly, letting steam escape.
- Cook about 10 minutes. When you start to see (or hear) the cranberries pop, stir and mash the cranberries up a bit with the back of your spoon.
- Remove from heat. Serve warm or cold.
Homemade Ruby Red Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 340 g bag Fresh Cranberries
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup apple cider
Instructions
- Pour cranberries into a sauce pan on med-high heat.
- Add sugar and apple cider.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cover slightly, letting steam escape.
- Cook about 10 minutes. When you start to see (or hear) the cranberries pop, stir and mash the cranberries up a bit with the back of your spoon.
- Remove from heat. Cool and serve warm or cold.
Need more holiday side dishes try From-Scratch Herb Stuffing Bread, plus stuffing recipe or Family Favorite Mashed Potato Casserole
Bonus: Left-overs recipe- Cranberry Sauce Muffins
Cranberry Sauce muffins are a great way to use up left over sauce. Simple and delicious. Just a few ingredients to a perfect grab-and-go breakfast or a great festive snack to pack in a lunch!
Ingredients for Muffins
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
2/3 cup cranberry sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup melted butter
Method for Cranberry Sauce Muffins
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
- Line muffin tin.
- In a large bowl blend together flour, baking powder, salt, and white sugar.
- In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, and 1/3 cup melted butter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix.
- Add the cranberry sauce. Mix until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Spoon batter to fill the muffin cups half way. (You will have batter left over)
- In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and ¼ cup melted butter to form a paste.
- Spoon a small dollop in the middle of each muffin cup.
- Cover each muffin with the remaining batter, to just under the top.
- Bake for 20-25 mins
- Cool slightly and serve.
Cranberry Sauce Muffins
Equipment
- 1 muffin tray
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- ⅔ cup cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ cup melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ (200 ℃)
- Line muffin tin.
- In a large bowl blend together flour, baking powder, salt, and white sugar.
- In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, and ⅓ cup melted butter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix.
- Add the cranberry sauce. Mix until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Spoon batter to fill the muffin cups half way. (You will have batter left over)
- In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and ¼ cup melted butter to form a paste.
- Spoon a small dollop in the middle of each muffin cup.
- Cover each muffin with the remaining batter, to just under the top.
- Bake for 20-25 mins
- Cool slightly and serve.
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