Gingerbread Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is one of my favorite things on the holiday table.  Jellied, canned, it doesn’t matter.  If there’s cranberries in it, I’m in.  A few years ago I discovered that homemade cranberry sauce is insanely easy to make, and because I love my sauce extra tart, I can regulate the amount of sugar I put in, as opposed to canned or pre-made cranberry sauce.

I’m in the process of planning my Thanksgiving menu and wanted to throw a twist into this year’s cranberry sauce.  Why not gingerbread?  Starbuck’s puts it in lattes, why couldn’t I put it in cranberry sauce?  After a few tests, I hit a winner.  Fair warning, if you taste this while it’s still warm right out of the pan, you won’t pick up much of the gingerbread flavor.  But, after it sits in the refridgerator for a few hours, the flavors intensify and you’ll get those warm gingerbread flavors with the tangy punch of cranberry.

As previously mentioned, I like my cranberry sauce tart, not too sweet.  That’s how I designed this recipe.  So, if you’ve got a sweeter tooth and want to cut the cranberries more, just add more sugar.

(full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)

It couldn’t be easier.  Add everything into a saute pan over medium high heat.  That’s 12 ounces of fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, the zest of 1 orange, 2 tsp fresh minced ginger, 1/4 tsp ground dried ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1 Tbs molasses and 1 Tbs maple syrup.   Bring all of that up to a simmer.  The sugar will dissolve into the juice and will start to bubble.

Then reduce the heat to medium low and cover with a lid to let it keep simmering.  Leave it for at least five minutes up to ten.  Then remove the cover and stir, smashing any un-popped cranberries

Keep stirring over medium low heat until the skins have mostly dissolved and you’ve got a smooth while still chunky cranberry sauce.

Remove it from the heat, empty it into an airtight container and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it.

Pro-Thankgiving-tip:  Make this two days ahead so you have less work on Turkey Day.  

*Original Recipe by Joanie Simon (JoanieSimon.com)

Gingerbread Cranberry Sauce

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Joanie Simon
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Yield: 20 1x

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Description

Cranberry sauce with the flavors of Gingerbread.

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Ingredients

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• 12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
• 1/4 cup sugar (or up to 1 cup of sugar depending on your desired sweetness level)
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 tsp fresh minced ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground dried ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 Tbs molasses
• 1 Tbs maple syrup

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Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients into a sauté pan over medium high heat and stir to combine.
2. Once the sugar dissolves and the liquid starts to bubble, reduce to medium low and cover with a lid.
3. Allow to sit for at least five minutes, up to 10.
4. Remove the lid and stir, smashing any still left whole cranberries and continue to stir until smooth.
5. Remove from heat and store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
6. Serve cold.
7. *Make this at least a half a day up to two days before serving. Flavors concentrate after it has set and the gingerbread is more apparent.

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Category: Condiment
• Cuisine: American