Fresh and frozen cranberries do a lot more than sauce. They bake into bread, dress up a cheese board, and cut through a rich dinner just as well as they cut through a cocktail.
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Cranberries are sharp on their own, so most of these lean on sugar, orange, or something rich like brie or cream cheese to balance them out.
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Baking
Cranberries go bitter if you skimp on sugar, so these lean a little sweet on purpose.
Orange Cranberry Loaf Cake
Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Cranberry Overnight Oats
Appetizers
A cranberry-studded cheese ball is the easiest way to make a board feel like the holidays.
Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
Salads and Sides
Sharp cranberries against something creamy or crunchy is the whole formula here.
Broccoli Cranberry Salad
Millionaire Cranberry Salad Recipe
No Cook Orange Cranberry Walnut Relish
Cranberry Orange Sauce (with Mandarin Oranges)
Drinks
A cocktail is basically cranberry sauce's fun cousin.
Spiced Cranberry Thyme Moscow Mule
Dinner
Cranberry belongs on the plate, not just next to it.
Pork Tenderloin With Sauce (So Juicy!)
Turkey Wrap Recipe
My Best Tips for Cooking with Cranberries
Cranberries are forgiving once you know their one real trick: they need more sugar than you think.
- Use frozen cranberries straight from the freezer. No need to thaw them for baking or sauce. Toss them in a little flour first if you are folding them into batter so they do not all sink to the bottom.
- Balance tartness with sugar and fat, not just sugar. A little butter, cream cheese, or brie rounds out the sharpness better than sugar alone.
- Chop cranberries fine for baking. Whole cranberries in a quick bread can hit a bitter pocket. Give them a rough chop first so the tartness spreads out evenly.
- Buy extra bags in November and freeze them. Fresh cranberries mostly disappear from stores after the holidays. A few extra bags in the freezer keep you stocked until next year.
Cranberry Recipe FAQs
Can I use frozen cranberries instead of fresh?
Yes, one for one, straight from the freezer. Do not thaw them first for baking, and toss them in a little flour so they do not sink.
Are dried cranberries a substitute for fresh?
Only in salads, and use about half as much since they are already sweetened. They will not work in sauce or baking where you need the fresh fruit's moisture and tartness.
How long do fresh cranberries last?
Three to four weeks in the fridge, or about a year in the freezer. Freeze the bag as soon as you get home if you are not using it right away.
Julia's Tip
For more holiday baking see Christmas Cookies for Gifting, and for the rest of the cranberry-adjacent table, What to Serve with Turkey.
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Before You Go
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