Like many of you I’m sure, the cranberry sauce of my youth was a sliceable gel shaped like a can. And though that American pantry staple has a special place in my heart, I’m partial to eating the fresh stuff these days! What really blows my mind, is that making sauce from fresh cranberries so easy that it’s almost as easy as opening a can. Truly! If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a whirl.
This particular recipe is my favorite cranberry sauce flavor combo– sweet apple, apple cider, orange zest for some brightness, brown sugar for depth, and allspice for a Christmassy warmness. The best part is that the sweetness of the apple is almost enough to balance the tart cranberries, so only an additional 1/2 cup of brown sugar is needed! In the past I’ve made cranberry sauce with orange juice, and I personally feel that orange juice is far too sour a match for cranberries– usually resulting in using 2+ cups of sugar to balance the sauce. Yipes!
Cranberry Sauce with Apple, Orange, + Allspice Recipe
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 sweet red apple peeled and diced (I use a honeycrisp apple)
- fine zest of 1 large orange
- 1/2 tsp whole allspice tied in a piece of cheesecloth
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and allow to simmer until the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the cheesecloth with the allspice and mash the sauce with a potato masher. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Serve right away or store in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container. If frozen, defrost in the fridge 1-2 days or for several hours at room temperature before serving.
Find more recipes for holiday cheer here!
