OK, so I noticed this year (because I have two babies and I pay attention to this stuff now) that canned cranberry sauce is chock full of high fructose corn syrup and other nasty stuff. So, first off I made a Food Network recipe on the stovetop. But, it’s kind of a pain to do when the babies are up. So, I thought, I recall a crock-pot recipe in Stephanie O’Dea’s book. I combined them and yum.
Crock-pot Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups cranberry juice
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 cup sugar
4 Gala apples, cored and diced
4 teaspoons arrowroot flour or cornstarch
Slow Cooker Method
Spray crock with non-stick cooking spray. Add the cranberry juice, cranberries, apples cinnamon and sugar to crock. Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours. Stir every hour or so. When the skin from the cranberries has softened, the cranberries will “pop” when pushed with a spoon up against the side of the crock. Smoosh all of the cranberries. Stir well.
Heat enough for it to be warm throughout.
Remove 8 ounces of the liquid to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch.
Slowly add thecornstarch-juice mixture (slurry) to the cranberry mixture, stirring constantly.
Cook for an additional 15 minutes with the lid off.
Remove from heat and pour into a serving bowl.
Refrigerate until thickened, about 30 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve.
Instant Pot Method
Place all ingredients except arrowroot/cornstarch in instant pot.
Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
Allow pressure to naturally release.
Remove 8 ounces of the liquid to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch.
Slowly add the cornstarch-juice mixture (slurry) to the cranberry mixture, stirring constantly.
Cook for an additional 15 minutes on saute mode.
Remove from heat and pour into a serving bowl.
Refrigerate until thickened, about 30 minutes.
Remove cinnamon sticks and serve.
No worries if you make too much, you can always freeze it in a silicone muffin pan. Learn about the process of freezing sauces and yogurt in your silicone muffin pans here.
The Results
This is super yum. And it’s free of HCFS if you’re worried about that. It’s so super easy and delicious.
And, while some recipes call for gelatin as a thickener (which is not vegetarian as it is basically boiled down animal collagen, ick), this uses cornstarch instead. So, slather this on to your tofurkey and call it a Christmas sandwich!
This post linked at Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays and Tasty Tuesdays.
Best Cranberry Sauce Ever Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 Gala apples, cored and diced
- 4 teaspoons arrowroot flour or cornstarch
Instructions
Place all ingredients except arrowroot/cornstarch in instant pot.
Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
Allow pressure to naturally release.
Remove 8 ounces of the liquid to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch.
Slowly add the cornstarch-juice mixture (slurry) to the cranberry mixture, stirring constantly.
Cook for an additional 15 minutes on saute mode.
Remove from heat and pour into a serving bowl.
Refrigerate until thickened, about 30 minutes.
Remove cinnamon sticks and serve.
