Making your own Cranberry Sauce is really easy and lets you control the amount of sugar. This recipe makes more than the amount you get in a typical can, and with half the grams of sugar and almost half the calories, it’s a winner winner with your turkey dinner. The orange liqueur isn’t mandatory but it turns an ordinary Cranberry Sauce into a dish worthy of your Thanksgiving or Christmas table.
There’s always a cranberry story. Here are a few of mine:
Jump to RecipeA family member who I will not name used to serve canned cranberry jelly on a plate, in the shape of the can. She would just let it slide out and leave it in that shape.
My grandmother, not a drinker, would visit the LCBO (if you’re not from Ontario, that’s the Liquor Store) once a year to buy brandy to make Brandied Cranberries. Other than that she would never drink because she said she would fall down if she drank any alcohol. I think grandma must’ve gotten into some moonshine!
I once thought I’d be extra fancy and threaded fresh cranberries onto string to decorate the Christmas tree. Later, I discovered they got soft and dripped all over the floor, staining a new carpet.
We were cleaning up after having a Thanksgiving Dinner with some neighbours. My friend Deb opened the fridge and exclaimed “$#!t!” She forgot to put out the cranberry sauce. Since then we always remind each other not to forget the cranberries when we’re having turkey dinner. Sometimes we even send texts right before it’s time to serve.
If you have a funny cranberry story, or even just a funny story, feel free to share. Families are funny, especially when they all get together for special events.
How to make Cranberry Sauce
There’s really nothing to making homemade Cranberry Sauce except slowly cooking the cranberries in a tiny bit of liquid with some sugar until they’re soft. You don’t need a lot of liquid. Fresh or frozen whole cranberries work equally well in this recipe. Orange juice adds a hint of citrus without the sauce tasting like oranges. Fresh squeezed is nice, especially if this is for a special occasion dinner. You can then garnish the cranberries with some nice strips of orange zest for an impressive presentation.
The cranberries actually pop when they’re cooking so listen for little soft popping noises. Keep an eye on the sauce once you add the sugar and stir often to make sure it doesn’t boil over on you. It will be foamy and bubbly at first but will quickly transform into a nice thick sauce. Then, stir in a small amount of some type of sweet liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier. They’re both orange flavoured so they compliment your Cranberry Sauce perfectly. Brandy or Kirsch work well too.
My grandmother (the one who would fall down) used to make hers by sprinkling sugar over her cranberries and spreading them on a baking sheet, covered. They would cook slowly in the oven. I make mine on the stovetop because I often make a mess in the kitchen and could envision pouring hot cranberry liquid all over the floor when I tried to take the baking sheet out of the oven. Lazy or practical? You decide.
Most kids don’t eat Cranberry Sauce so adding alcohol should be fine. If you have kids who do, since it’s stirred in at the end, the alcohol doesn’t get a chance to cook off so leave it out. You can add a few strips of orange zest instead if you want to skip the booze but like the hint of citrus.
If you’re wondering what to do if you have leftover Cranberry Sauce, I love it on a toasted turkey sandwich the next morning. Or, spoon some over top of a wheel of Brie and warm it in the oven. It’s delicious served with crackers or baguette. If you’re super ambitious you can roll out some puff pastry, cut it into squares and fill with brie chunks and a spoon of cranberry sauce. Fold the pastry into triangles, seal and bake until puffed and golden. Did you know you can freeze Cranberry Sauce? Now you do.
If you make Cranberry Sauce with Orange Liqueur, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- 340 g package fresh or frozen cranberries 12 oz or about 3½ cups
- â…“ cup orange juice freshly squeezed if possible
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 Tbsp orange liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier optional
Instructions
- Add cranberries and orange juice to a pot on the stovetop. Cover and bring to a very low simmer for about 10 minutes until cranberries start softening.
- Add sugar and continue to cook over very low heat. Remove lid when sauce starts to thicken and stir frequently to prevent boiling over. When cranberries have mostly all popped and sauce is very thick, about 10 minutes, remove from heat.
- Stir in liqueur.
- Cranberry Sauce will keep in refrigerator for 3-4 days and freezes well.
I liked the cranberry stories!
Thanks Marilyn!