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Cranberry recipes

'Tis the season for tart red cranberries. Cranberries are a significant commercial crop in the United States, with Wisconsin being the state that produces the most cranberries. Versatile and full of nutrients, cranberries are delicious in baked goods, as a tart relish for holiday spreads, and even mixed into smoothies.

Check out our Stir It Up! list of recipes to bring a pop of red into your seasonal dishes.

The Kitchen Paper
These cranberry cookies are easy to throw together, pretty with a pop of red, and balanced by the sweet almond flavor in contrast to tart, fresh cranberries.

1. Cranberry gingerbread cake with butter sauce

The Runaway Spoon
Old-fashioned gingerbread cake with a creamy butter sauce. Cranberries add a festive color and flavor.

By Perre Coleman Magness, The Runaway Spoon

For the cake:
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (for the topping)

1. Pulse the cranberries in a food processor (the mini one works fine) until roughly chopped. Add the flour and 1 tablespoon sugar and pulse until you have a fine rubble.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Cut the butter into chunks and place it in a 9- x 13-inch glass baking dish. Melt the butter in the oven for about 5 minutes. Swirl the butter around to cover the sides of the pan, then pour the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium low for a few minutes until thoroughly combined and smooth. Add the egg and beat until combined.

4. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

5. Mix the 2 cups flour, soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves together in a small bowl, then beat into the wet ingredients until combined, scraping down the bowl a few times. Add half of the cranberries and mix in gently. Take the bowl off the mixer and give the batter a good stir to distribute the cranberries. Scrape the batter into the buttered baking dish.

6. Spread the remaining cranberries evenly over the surface of the batter. I find my clean fingers the best tool for this, breaking up the cranberry mixture as best I can and distributing over the batter. The batter will not be completely covered, just do your best to evenly spread the cranberries and press them lightly into the batter.

7. Mix the remaining 3 teaspoons cinnamon and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar together for the topping and sprinkle evenly over the top of the cake. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. The cake can be cooled and covered and kept for one day.

For the butter sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Melt the butter over medium high heat in a medium saucepan until it is bubbling and spitting and just beginning to brown.

2. Stir in the sugar and the heavy cream and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then remove the sauce from the heat and stir well. The sauce can be served warm or a room temperature. You can cool, cover and refrigerate one day ahead, then loosen the sauce by heating it in the microwave.

Read the full post on Stir It Up!

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Mark Sappenfield
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