Tag: cranberry apple

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

I believe cranberry to be one of those polarizing flavors. Okay, maybe not quick polarizing like, say, coconut, but it is still a flavor that elicits strong responses. If you like cranberries, you LOVE cranberries and can’t get enough. Or is that just my family? Ha! Well, I can tell you that the cranberries at Thanksgiving are important at our household, and this homemade cranberry sauce is just the ticket. 

Speaking of polarizing flavors: cinnamon. My sister and I double down on cinnamon almost always. Turns out, my mom hates it. It’s why she doesn’t like apple desserts in the fall. I do think she is in the minority, but still, cinnamon is an optional addition to this cranberry sauce. Do I love it? Absolutely. But maybe it isn’t for you and your family. 

Whether you add the cinnamon or not, this homemade cranberry sauce will likely have you licking out the kettle as you transfer it to a serving dish. It’s the perfect blend of tart and sweet (although, if you like it extra tart, consider removing a few tablespoons of sugar), and is beyond simple to make. The best part: It’s easy to prep ahead of time during that busy Thanksgiving week! 

And if you want to try it ahead of time, let me recommend mixing it into some plain or vanilla Greek yogurt. Holy yum! It’s definitely a favorite flavor combination this fall for me! 

Ready to give it a go? Let’s start cooking! 

Your Ingredients for Homemade Cranberry Sauce

  • ⅔ cup water
  • ⅔ cup sugar (up to a cup if you want it sweet) 
  • 3 cups fresh cranberries 
  • 2 apples, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
  • 3 mandarin oranges, peeled and diced (or 1 large orange)
  • ½ tablespoon orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional) 
  • ¼ teaspoon salt 

Your Steps 

Bring water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and aslt. Once boiling, add the remaining ingredients. Heat over high heat to a boil once again. 

Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. 

Remove the cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently as it thickens. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish. Allow to cool before refrigerating. 

This cranberry sauce can be prepared a week in advance.

Simple Ingredients
Dice them up!
Get ready to simmer them down.
Closer.
There!
Yum!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This homemade cranberry sauce strikes a perfect balance of sweet and tart, making it a delightful addition to any table.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 9 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • ⅔ cup water
  • ⅔ cup sugar up to a cup if you want it sweet
  • 3 cups fresh cranberries
  • 2 apples peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
  • 3 mandarin oranges peeled and diced (or 1 large orange)
  • ½ tablespoon orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Bring water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and aslt. Once boiling, add the remaining ingredients. Heat over high heat to a boil once again.
  • Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently as it thickens. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish. Allow to cool before refrigerating.
  • This cranberry sauce can be prepared a week in advance.
Keyword apples, cranberries, cranberry sauce, from scratch cranberry sauce, fruits, homemade cranberry sauce, oranges, side dishes, Thanksgiving
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Other favorite sides

Okay, so you have cranberry sauce, but do you have the rest of your sides? These are some favorites for me!

Jess1 Comment

For the Holidays Cranberry Apple Preserves

“Tis the season for cranberries, right? Now if you ask me, any season is cranberry season. But right now, fresh, whole cranberries are fully stocked at all the grocery stores, just yearning to create something delicious in your kitchen. I know Thanksgiving is over, but that doesn’t mean your time with cranberries needs to be. Give these cranberry apple preserves a try! 

One of my favorite things about living in Wisconsin is that all things cranberry are readily available. I thought that was standard in all states. I was telling a friend in Texas how much I adore cranberry wine (I am not a fancy wine girl, clearly). Her response was, “THEY MAKE CRANBERRY WINE?!” Yup, they do. And it’s delish. If you’re interested, check out Door Peninsula Winery (I love their Cranbernet) or Three Lakes Winery (I love…all their wine. All of it.) They even ship to lots of states! 

I will buy anything cranberry related. Add some citrus, and I am in heaven. So this cranberry apple preserve recipe is a great one. It has all the deliciousness of a well prepared cranberry sauce while being the consistency of jam. Can you go wrong?! Even if you aren’t a typical canner, you can do this recipe. 

Before we Start, The supplies

This cranberry apple preserves recipe will result in approximately seven 8 ounce jelly jars. You can use wide mouth or narrow mouth jars. Just be sure you have rings and lids for them and that they will all fit in your canner at once. 

You will need a water bath canner or large stock pot with a lid. The jars need to be off the bottom of the pot. A water bath canner will have a rack to use if you go that route. If you use a stock pot, I would invest in canning racks. You can also put a towel down in a pinch, but it is MESSY in terms of getting water everywhere.  

It is also helpful to have the tools in a canning kit like this, but it isn’t necessary. Canning would be crazy challenging without the jar funnel and jar tongs. The lid lifter is also very handy. 

New to canning? Check out the Ball’s Book of Canning or The National Center for Home Food Preservation for more detailed information. I will give you the low down, but it will be short and sweet. You will want to read up more, I promise  

Your Ingredients

  • 24 ounces whole cranberries, rinsed and picked through 
  • 3 apples, cored, peeled and diced
  • 1 clementine orange, chopped finely with peels
  • 2 ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 cups water 
  • ⅓ cup honey 

Your Steps to Cranberry Apple Preserves 

To begin, prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Too much water is better than not enough, but remember that some water will be displaced by the jars. Cover and begin to heat over a medium heat. 

You will also need to wash and prepare 8 ounce canning jars (approximately 7 jars will be produced with this recipe). I typically do this while my preserves are just starting to cook down. Wash rings, lids, and jars. Place jars in the rack in the canner, elevated above the water. This will keep them warm. Follow directions for your specific lids. I typically wash and place in simmering water on the stove. 

Now, begin to prepare the jam. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over a high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook and stir over the high heat until the mixture reaches 219 degrees (However, for every 1000 feet of altitude you have, subtract 2 degrees). Once temperature is reached, remove from heat. (Note: It takes some time to reach this temperature. But it will go from 214 degrees to done quicker than you expect. Just watch the temperature closely)

Time to Can!

Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims with a damp cloth, add lids and adjust band to fingertip tight. Place jars into water bath canner and process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover. Allow jars to cool 5 minutes in the canner, then remove and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Do not retighten bands. Check seal after cool to be sure they are self-stable. Label and store. Any jars that did not seal can be stored in the refrigerator. 

  • cranberries
    Ruby red cranberries. So fun!
  • apples and oranges
    Apples and oranges…that’s it!
  • sugar and cranberries
    Sugar and cranberries is simply beautiful, isn’t it?
  • cooking down
    Cooking down!
  • supplies
    Be prepared to ladle. I call it “go time!”
  • sourdough and jam
    Check the color. Isn’t it gorgeous?!

Tools of the Trade

Not a Canner (…yet)? 

You can 100% complete this recipe and store it in the refrigerator. Fill the jars with hot jam, wipe, adjust lid and ring. Allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator. Since you will likely get about 7 jars of jam, I would recommend cutting the recipe in half. 

Ready to can and preserve more?

Check out my pages for canning and preserving for other inspiration below:

Canning and Preserving
sourdough and jam

Cranberry Apple Preserves

As the weather gets cooler, cranberries become a tasty, tart treat. These preserves are sure to make your taste buds dance with the combination of cranberry, apple, and orange.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Waterbath 15 minutes
Servings 12

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 24 ounces whole cranberries rinsed and picked through
  • 3 apples cored, peeled and diced
  • 1 mandrin orange chopped finely with peels
  • 2 ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • ⅓ cup honey

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Cover and begin to heat over a medium heat.
  • Wash and prepare 8 ounce canning jars (approximately 7 jars will be produced with this recipe).
  • Now, begin to prepare the jam. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil over a high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  • Continue to cook and stir over the high heat until the mixture reaches 219 degrees (However, for every 1000 feet of altitude you have, subtract 2 degrees).
  • Once temperature is reached, remove from heat.
  • Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.
  • Wipe rims with a damp cloth, add lids and adjust band to fingertip tight.
  • Place jars into water bath canner and process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover.
  • Allow jars to cool 5 minutes in the canner, then remove and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Do not retighten bands. Check seal after cool to be sure they are self-stable. Label and store.

Notes

Any jars that did not seal can be stored in the refrigerator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment