Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

holiday cranberry sauce

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Tam D
The Dalles, OR

First time I made cranberry sauce I could not believe how easy it was! I played with the recipe a little bit, to get the flavors I wanted. The color is beautiful and the flavor is intense. Now there's no more canned cranberry sauce on the holiday table!

(1 rating)
yield serving(s)
prep time 5 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For holiday cranberry sauce

  • 1 c
    water
  • 1 c
    sugar
  • 2 lg
    navel oranges
  • fresh orange zest, shredded or grated
  • 12-16 oz
    cranberries, fresh or frozen

How To Make holiday cranberry sauce

  • 1
    In a heavy 3 qt. saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil.
  • 2
    While the sugar and water heat, zest the oranges over the pot, so the zest goes right into the pot.
  • 3
    Cut the oranges in half, crosswise, and squeeze the juice from the orange halves into the pot. Drop the orange halves into the pot.
  • 4
    Stir in the cranberries.
  • 5
    Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce reaches desired thickness. Remove the orange halves from the sauce after a few minutes, then allow the mixture to finish cooking.
  • 6
    Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Chill until ready to serve.
  • 7
    NOTES: Cook longer or shorter time, depending on how thick you like your cranberry sauce, taking into account that it will thicken as it cools. This recipe multiplies easily, just use a bigger pot and plan a longer cooking time. Stores well, tightly covered. I use the cooled orange halves for a project with my grandchildren: we smear the cut side with nut butter then sprinkle on sunflower seeds. We place the finished bird feeders in the fountain in the yard, which has been drained for winter :)
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